Darkness
by Kalow
Summary: Something terrible has happened. Seireitei has fallen. The Gotei 13 is in shambles. Aizen is nearing his goals. But worst of all for Toushiro Hitsugaya is Momo Hinamori, who has descended into darkness and evil.
1. Prologue

Title: Darkness

Characters: Momo Hinamori; Toushiro Hitsugaya.

Summary: Something horrible has happened. Seireitei has fallen. Aizen is nearing his goal. But worst of all for Toushiro Hitsugaya, Momo Hinamori has descended into darkness. How could this have happened? Is there any hope at all in the future?

Genre: Drama, Angst, Tragedy

I do not own Bleach

**Darkness**

_Prologue_

_She looks like a walking corpse, _Toushiro Hitsugaya thought as he watched her walking towards his prison cell, _Like something from a horrible nightmare. _

Of course it wasn't a nightmare. This was all very real. Momo Hinamori- no, not Momo Hinamori, that person had died a long time ago-that _thing_ walked slowly through the halls observing the ranked officers-turned-prisoners of the Gotei 13. She showed little interest in the prisoners, giving them apathetic glances before walking on.

As she approached, Toushiro saw just how much she had changed in the month since he had last seen her. She was horrible to look at then but now… now she was unrecognizable as who she once was. Her face was pallid and sick looking, with the exception of the burn that dominated one side of her face, only partially covered up by her long, matted hair. The hair was dry and streaked with grey hairs. Her eyes were the worst; an evil, sulfurous yellow that held not even an ounce of kindness. Dark shadows hung beneath those evil looking eyes.

She was approaching his cell, and Toushiro did not know whether to hope that she would recognize him as her old friend and stop or whether he would rather not talk to the hideous being. As she approached, he saw the zanpakuto at her side. There were four in all, each a trophy from her strongest victims. Tobiume was absent; killed by its owner if the rumors were true.

Toushiro braced himself for what might happen when she recognized him. Would she show him mercy, or would she taunt and torment her childhood friend? He was leaning towards the latter, given what he'd seen of her new self.

The footsteps echoed through the dank prison, mixing with the sound of an occasional drip of water. Each step closer that she came, Toushiro flinched. She was nearly upon him. In moments, he would have to face her and look directly into those horrible eyes.

Finally she was upon him. He braced himself for the worst, but as she passed him, she merely gave an apathetic glance at him, slowing down for a second before walking off. She showed no hint of recognition for her childhood friend. Toushiro was both relieved that he did not have to confront her and crushed that his former friend did not even think him to be worth any more attention than a tiny glance.

Despite his reputation as the icy captain who didn't show his emotions and his resolve not to be weak in this situation, a tear forced itself from his eye. This wasn't supposed to have happened. How had Momo been so utterly and completely changed? How did the sweet, kind girl who used to call him Shiro-chan become this despicable monster?

* * *

Thanks for reading! I've been planning this story since August, and it has been in the works for a long time. Thanks again to everyone who read this, and please, please, please review!


	2. Chapter 1

**Darkness**

_Chapter One_

"Let me out!" Momo screamed as she banged on the door to her room at the Fourth Division, "Please! Let me out of here!"

Toushiro sighed as he watched his childhood friend from behind a one-way window. Captain Unohana stood beside him, a serene yet sad look on her face.

"Her fits are getting worse. Before they were just outbursts, now she goes into full blown episodes of hysteria," Unohana said, "She's losing her grip on reality. When she first woke up, she was able to at least do basic activities and keep herself stable, but now she's beginning to slip."

"What can we do?" Toushiro asked. Unohana sighed.

"I don't know. Her physical wounds have mostly healed, but she's been so traumatized that I don't know how to help her. She isn't thinking logically and is completely lost in despair and confusion. It's understandable, but…"

"But what?" Toushiro asked.

"Captain Hitsugaya, I know you care for her and want her to maintain her post, but if she does not come to terms with reality soon, we may be forced to strip her of her rank as Vice-Captain."

"What? You can't do that! She'll recover eventually, you can't take away the position she's worked so hard to achieve!" Toushiro said quickly.

"It will be dificult if not impossible for her to resume her duties as Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division. We need our seated officers to be performing their duties in times like this, something which she is incapable of. It would be for her good and the good of the Gotei 13. Surely you must understand," Unohana said gently.

"No, we can't do that. Momo worked her entire life to earn that rank. She would be devastated if it were taken away from her," Toushiro said.

"I understand your sentiments, but this is still an issue we must deal with. For now, I we will focus on her treatment, but you must recognize the possibility of her losing her rank in the future."

"Very well. I understand," Toushiro said grudgingly. He looked at Momo sadly. She was now lying on the floor sobbing.

"I'll help her into bed," Unohana said, walking to the door. Toushiro made to follow her but Unohana stopped him.

"You know that you can't go in there. You bring about strong emotions in her, and we're not sure if she can handle them," she said firmly.

"But, I need to see her again! We haven't spoken since-" he was shut up by a stern look from Unohana. The woman, despite her calm and peaceful appearance, could be very intimidating if she wished to be.

"You will have your chance to speak with her eventually. For now though, you must be patient. Now if you'll excuse me…" Unohana opened the door and picked the sobbing Momo up. She silently walked over to the bed at the center of the room and set her down on it. Momo still sobbed even as Unohana helped put a blanket over her.

Toushiro sighed as he watched before walking off. He hated seeing Momo in this condition. He still vividly remembered when Momo had contacted him while he was in the human world. She had seemed frail and weak at first, but she also seemed to be genuinely sorry and aware of the situation. But when the conversation turned to Aizen, she began slipping. Before his eyes she began to slowly slip and slip further into hysteria, to the point that she begged him to save Aizen. Had the Captain-Commander not knocked her out, she would likely have gone even further.

He sighed as he walked back towards his division office. People bowed and greeted him as he passed, but he paid them no attention. He never wanted nor deserved the respect he was given. He had joined the Shinigami so that he could rein in his excessive Reiatsu, not to become Captain. He didn't want the responsibilities of an ordinary Shinigami, let alone a captain! He wanted to be with Momo, yes, but not as a Shinigami. He wished that neither he nor Momo had ever developed shinigami powers. He recalled when she first developed her powers and the trouble it caused.

It was a summer night, and Momo and Toushiro were sleeping out under the stars like they often did. Momo quickly fell asleep, and Toushiro was about to as well, but then he noticed that a pink glow was surrounding Momo. He panicked and woke up Momo and Granny with his shouting. Once awake, Momo was no longer glowing, and she and Granny assumed that Toushiro had imagined it or had a nightmare.

The next night, Momo and Toushiro slept on the floor of the living room. Once again, Toushiro saw that Momo was glowing pink. This time Toushiro shook her shoulder to wake her up. This was a mistake, as the pink energy surrounding her became a physical force and burst forward from her, knocking over Toushiro and several shelves and setting the carpet on fire in places. Granny came in to find Toushiro stomping out the small fires on the carpet and a very confused Momo sitting up in bed.

It was soon explained to them that Momo had the powers necessary to become Shinigami. They were all surprised greatly by this. To those in Rukongai, the Shinigami were a near supernatural force rarely seen beyond the walls of Seireitei. Momo was excited about the opportunity to join such a place, but Toushiro was apprehensive. The Shinigami did not have a good reputation in Rukongai. They were considered to be snobby and abusive of those living outside of Seireitei. Momo was so sweet and innocent…to think of her wielding a sword was simply unimaginable.

Nevertheless, Momo did indeed end up attending the Shinigami Academy. Toushiro pretended not to care, but in reality he was very lonely. Momo was his only real friend, and he was only able to see her during her breaks. In the past it had always been just them, but she made new friends at the academy, and he slowly felt himself slipping away from her heart. When she met Aizen, things got even worse. All she would talk about was Aizen and how she was working so hard so that she could serve under him. He felt as if she didn't really care for him at all.

Then, to his great surprise, he developed powers of his own. He was rather frightened when he first found himself face-to-face with Hyourinmaru, but soon recognized the fact that he would have to learn to control his powers, and he grudgingly attended the academy. Momo was surprised to see him there, and even more surprised when he became known as a prodigy and ended up in the advanced classes it had taken her five years of hard work to reach.

Toushiro had expected for he and Momo to become close as they once had, but as they worked, they soon found themselves drifting apart. Toushiro could tell that Momo was upset that her Shiro-chan had so easily surpassed her. She had always known him as a grumpy little boy who liked to pig out on watermelon, not a powerful shinigami. When they entered the Gotei 13, Momo and Toushiro both quickly rose through the ranks, becoming Vice-captain and Captain. Both were high ranks and something to be extremely proud of, but Toushiro knew that Momo felt inadequate. The two people most important to her, Toushiro and Aizen, were both Captains, while she was only a vice-captain.

Momo was strong, and something of a prodigy herself, but she couldn't compete with Toushiro or Aizen. She reached her rank before either of her classmates Renji and Izuru did, but that wasn't enough for her. She wanted to be Toushiro's equal once more. Toushiro wanted that too. To not be in a position over Momo nor a position under her; to simply be on equal footing. Unfortunately, that was not how things turned out, and he knew that she resented him for it.

He soon found himself in front of his division building. He realized he had been standing here for several minutes, too lost in thought to realize it. He walked in and went to the main office. Matsumoto was sleeping on the couch as usual, and he could see crumbs from snacks all over her. Grumbling, he prodded her in the side. She giggled a little in her sleep, but didn't wake up. He pushed her on the shoulder and she seemed to wake up for a moment before turning away from him, mumbling something about 'five more minutes mom.'

"Matsumoto, would you just wake up?" Toushiro said irritably. Finally, she opened her eyes groggily.

"Oh, hi Captain. When did you get here?" she asked.

"Just get up and help me with the paperwork," he grumbled.

"But sir, you already completed it," Matsumoto protested.

"Don't be stupid I…" Toushiro thought back, remembering that he in fact had completed it already. In his troubled mind, he had completely forgotten about it.

"Great, I came all the way over here for nothing," he said irritably.

"Well you can still deliver the paperwork. Nelani is overworked and it would be helpful if you delivered the paperwork instead of forcing her to get it herself," Matsumoto said. Nelani was the third seat of the Fifth Division and the highest ranking officer there with Momo incapacitated.

"She can deal with it on her own," Toushiro said coldly, "It is not the place of a captain to make simple deliveries of paperwork."

"Aw, come on captain! Please?" Matsumoto said. Toushiro groaned.

"Fine, I'll take her the stupid paperwork!" he groaned, in no mood to argue.

"Excellent! I'll come with you!" Matsumoto said.

"Then why don't you take her the paperwork yourself?"

"Because…I don't know, but it would make her feel special if a captain delivered the work!" she said. Toushiro groaned again.

"Fine, I'll do this for you but tomorrow you're getting extra work!" he said, walking off.

They made their way to the Fifth Division main office. When they entered, they found that it was far messier than the tidy offices in the Tenth Division. There were piles of paperwork waiting to be done and it looked as if Nelani lived in here. Behind the desk, scribbling away at a piece of paperwork, was Nelani. She was short and had black hair, and had a rushed look about her. She looked up to see Toushiro and Matsumoto standing there. She immediately stood and bowed.

"Captain Hitsugaya, Vice-Captain Matsumoto, it is a surprise to see you coming here. I am most honored that you have seen fit to see me," she said quickly, fidgeting nervously with her hands.

"We have work to deliver," Toushiro said, handing her a stack of papers.

"Oh yes, thank you very much," Nelani said, "I appreciate that a captain would come so far to deliver simple papers."

"Calm down Nelani, you seem stressed out," Matsumoto said.

"O-oh yes, sorry! I'm afraid that things have been a bit hectic, but thank you for your concern!" she said in a rush. Toushiro turned to leave, seeing no further point in staying.

"Um, uh, C-Captain Hitsugaya?" she said hesitantly. Toushiro turned around. She gulped and stuttered, "I-I was wondering if-if it is not too much trouble to ask…could-could I, uh, know, I mean, if you see fit, could you tell me how Vice-Captain Hinamori is doing?" She breathed quickly. Nelani was extremely shy, and had difficulty talking to others. Toushiro looked at her for a moment. She fidgeted anxiously, feeling extremely nervous under his intense gaze.

"Vice-Captain Hinamori is showing few signs of improvement. Little has changed in her condition," he finally said. Nelani's eyes lowered sadly.

"Oh…I see…" she said sadly. Momo may not have realized it with her intense devotion to Aizen, but she herself was a highly respected and admired Shinigami. There were many Shinigami who held her in very high esteem. One of these was Nelani.

Nelani was a short, shy girl, and she was very nervous about becoming a shinigami. Then one day she met Momo. Momo helped her overcome her shyness and soon took her on as something of an apprentice. Nelani was extremely devoted to Momo and worked her way up to third seat, wanting to be as much help to her as possible. Even as Momo idolized Aizen, Nelani looked up to her as a role-model. Thus, she was devastated when Momo was sent into a coma by Aizen. To her, Momo was the ideal shinigami, and for her to end up in such a pitiful state was very saddening. Nelani still retained hope however that her mentor and role-model would oneday recover.

Just then, two hell butterflies flew in through the window. One went to Nelani and the other to Toushiro. They landed on their finger tips to transmit their message. Moments later, Toushiro and Nelani's eyes widened.

"Captain!" Nelani cried.

"I know! Get to the medical center immediately," Toushiro said. They rushed out of the room towards the Fourth Division. It was their worst nightmare, the thing they had most feared. Momo had attempted to kill herself.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Plushietiger, sma4ever, SunsetRainbow, argella1300, Siroi Lily, and Fourpeg for reviewing! This chapter takes place before chapter one, in case anyone was confused about that. Please review!


	3. Chapter 2

**Darkness**

_Chapter Two_

Toushiro and Matsumoto shunpoed towards the fourth division medical center, with Nelani following closely behind them. Toushiro was overwhelmed with fear for Momo. How had this happened? Wasn't she in a secure room designed specifically to prevent her from injuring herself? Wasn't she being watched over to ensure her safety? And why was Momo doing this? The fear of something like this happening had weighed on his mind for a while, but he didn't really believe that she would actually attempt to take her own life. She had so much to live for if she could make herself forget about Aizen. She had many friends, was respected and well-liked throughout Seireitei, and was a fairly powerful Vice-Captain. Why throw that all away?

Toushiro of course knew the answer to that: Aizen. That monster had made Momo believe that she couldn't live without him. He crushed her spirit and her will to go on. Toushiro swore that he would personally defeat Aizen. It did not matter to him that Aizen was in a league all his own or that he had so easily defeated him before, Toushiro thought only of avenging the pain he had caused Momo. At the moment though, these thoughts of vengeance were overshadowed by his concern for Momo.

Finally he and Matsumoto arrived at the Fourth Division Medical Center. They rushed in, and were met by Isane Kotetsu.

"Where is she?" Toushiro asked frantically, "Is Momo alright?"

"Vice-Captain Hinamori is badly injured but is alive. She is being treated by Captain Unohana," Isane explained.

"What on earth happened?" Matsumoto asked, "Wasn't she in a secure room?"

"Apparently she used Kido as a means to inflict harm on herself," Isane said.

"But I thought that her reiatsu had been sealed to prevent this sort of thing!" Hitsugaya said.

"Yes, but with her aptitude for Kido, she managed to gather enough energy to create an explosion. She suffered from blunt trauma from the blast, and has a broken ribcage and internal bleeding. She has some nasty burns too. Captain Unohana is confident that she can heal her however."

"When can we see her?" Toushiro asked.

"Not for a while I'm afraid. Unohana must conduct the treatment without interference. I will take you to the room she is being treated in and you can wait there," Isane said.

"Thank you," Matsumoto said. They began following after her when someone shouted out behind them.

"Wait for me!" Nelani said, running up. She panted heavily.

"What's going on, is Momo okay?"

"We're going to the place she's being treated for now. Come with us and we'll explain the rest to you," Matsumoto said.

They walked down the hall, following after Isane. They were very anxious and worried about Momo. They passed her old room, where the bed had been blown to pieces and there were still pieces of smoldering debris. After an agonizingly long walk, Isane stopped and turned to them.

"This is the room where she is being treated. Wait here until we are finished with treatment," she said. They nodded and Isane slipped into the room to help Unohana.

--

Unohana stood over Momo Hinamori. The girl was badly burned, and had suffered immense blunt trauma. She was quite surprised that she had been able to manipulate Kido energy even with her reiatsu sealed. She was indeed more powerful than she gave herself credit for. Unohana could not help but wonder what would have happened if this poor girl had never met Aizen. Without his deliberately keeping her at a level useful to him, she could have potentially risen to far greater heights. Of course Aizen was her motivation to become powerful, so she may not have ended up as powerful were Aizen not in the picture. She sighed, shaking away such thoughts and getting back to work. Momo was in relatively stable condition, but still needed expert treatment or there was the possibility of the wounds becoming crippling for Momo.

The door creaked open and Isane walked in.

"How is she?" Isane asked quietly.

"She'll live, but in what condition I'm not sure. I've managed to stabilize her rib cage so that it won't collapse, but I'm not sure that her body can handle this trauma, especially after already having gone through so much," Unohana said, glancing at the remnants of Momo's stab wound, which consisted of a purplish area of unhealed tissue under the skin where Aizen's blade had gone through her. She sighed heavily.

"Poor child…" she whispered, "Forced to live with something like this…it's unbelievable." It wasn't fair in Unohana's opinion. Momo was a strong shinigami and a respected Vice-Captain, but she was still a child. She had emotional needs and was deeply trusting towards those around her. She may be chronologically 150 years old, but she was still young, and Unohana hated to see a young soul be forced to endure such suffering.

"Shall I complete the procedure? There is not much left, I could-"

"No, I'll handle it. Go and get some rest Isane," Unohana said. Isane hesitated a moment before bowing and leaving. Unohana sighed and finished treating Momo's injuries. Things were becoming worse and worse.

--

Toushiro growled into his pillow as he lied in bed. Isane had told them that they would need to leave but that they could visit Momo the following day. After returning to work, Toushiro found himself unable to concentrate, constantly making mistakes and becoming frustrated with his work. After listening to him grumbling and muttering to himself for some time, Matsumoto insisted that he go home early, offering to finish his work. The fact that Matsumoto was actually _offering_ to do extra work for him made him realize that perhaps ending work early was a good idea after all.

As he lay in bed however, he was beginning to think perhaps it was pointless. With work, at least he had something that he could try to keep things off his mind, but now he could only lie in bed wide awake thinking about her. He couldn't help it. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop thinking of her.

He thought of their time together in Rukongai, of their time in the academy, and of their time as Shinigami. Each time they moved forward they seemed to drift further apart. With Toushiro no longer a regular fixture in her life, Momo became even closer to Aizen. Toushiro respected Aizen back then, but he still resented the fact that she gave him so much devotion. It felt like he was being forgotten and didn't really matter to her anymore. The thought made him extremely depressed.

When Aizen had given her information that Toushiro had supposedly killed him, Momo had taken Aizen at his word, and attempted to kill Toushiro. She may not have wanted to, but she did truly believed Toushiro, her best friend, her Shiro-chan, to be responsible for the 'murder' of her captain. Yet when confronted with the fact that her captain was a traitor, she insisted that it wasn't his fault and he must have been manipulated or forced to do his evil deeds. It made Toushiro wonder if she cared more about him or Aizen. It seemed like it was Aizen right now, but what about all of their years as friends? Did that mean nothing?"

Toushiro sighed heavily. When he saw Momo lying in a pool of blood on the floors of the Central 46 chambers, everything seemed to stop for him. He was certain that she was dead, and was in complete shock. As Aizen revealed himself a traitor, Toushiro's mind could only numbly comprehend it, such was his disbelief at seeing Momo before him. He had promised to protect her, and had completely and utterly failed. Even now, when he knew she was alive, he felt that he had failed her, that he had not done enough to protect her from Aizen's manipulation.

Giving up on sleep, he sat up in bed with a weary sigh and walked over to the closet on the other side of the room. Sliding it open, he got down on his knees and reached deep within, pulling out a wooden chest. The rich, reddish brown chest was made of intricately carved Rosewood. Carved into it were several chinese dragons, and two locks on it's side were in the shape of traditional guardian lions.

Delicately lifting up the chest, he took it over to his bed. He turned a light on, squinting as the bright light chased away the darkness. He undid the locks on the chest and opened it with a slight creak.

Inside were items from his childhood with Momo. There was a pressed flower that Momo had picked for him as a child. He didn't want to be seen with a flower, but Momo made him wear the bright white flower on his shirt, saying it matched his hair. A book that granny used to read bed-time stories to them sat on the bottom. There were little mementos of the times they had gone exploring, including rocks, bottlecaps, snail shells, and leaves. Delicately removing all of the heavier items, Toushiro took out several pieces of paper on the bottom of the chest.

Toushiro looked at the papers. On them were drawings that Momo made as a child. There were pictures of birds, cats, and squirrels, but his favorite of all was a crudely drawn picture of him and her. She wore pink clothes and he wore blue clothes. They both wore big smiles and their stick-like arms were holding hands.

Toushiro sighed. He wondered if he would ever truly have Momo back.

--

The next day, Toushiro went straight to the Fourth Division medical center, and went straight to Unohana. He found her standing outside of her office, waiting for him.

"So can I see Momo now?" he asked.

"Yes, but be gentle with her. She's doing much better than expected, but be careful not to do anything upsetting for her," Unohana said. She gestured for him to follow her, and led him to Momo's room. She quietly opened the door for him to go in.

Toushiro took a deep breath and walked in. Momo was sitting upright in bed, her face displaying complete misery. She looked up at Toushiro, a look of misery on her face. There was silence between them, and Toushiro moved forward cautiously.

"Momo?" he said hesitantly.

"Toushiro…" she whispered. Her voice was weak and tired. There were dark shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep.

"It…it looks like Captain Unohana did a good job fixing you up," Toushiro said. Momo remained silent, looking down at her feet. Toushiro cleared his throat, hoping for a response. When he received none, he spoke again.

"Do you need something? Food? Water? A new pillow? If you need anything, I'll be happy to get it for you." Silence again. Toushiro put a hand on the side of Momo's face and tilted her gaze towards him.

"Momo please, I want to help you. I don't want to see you in pain like this anymore," he said. Momo looked at him for a minute, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Toushiro," she whispered, "I'm sorry I can't do anything. I'm sorry I'm so weak and a burden on everyone. I don't know what to do!"

"It's okay Momo, calm down. Things will get better eventually," Toushiro said encouragingly, though he was beginning to panick a little bit at Momo's behavior.

"Why? Why did he have to do it? Was I too weak? Did I do something wrong?" She said, seemingly to herself.

"Momo, it wasn't your fault. Aizen did those things to you because he is an evil monster!" Toushiro said, "You have nothing to be ashamed or guilty of."

"Oh Toushiro, I'm so confused. I don't know what to believe anymore! Captai Aizen felt like the only certain thing in my life! I know he's doing bad things, but I just can't believe that the same Captain Aizen who was always there for me would do such things! It just feels so impossible! I don't know what to believe, I don't know what's going on! I just want it all to end, to be rid of all of this pain!" she cried.

"Momo, please don't cry, I hate to see you cry," Toushiro said. Momo attempted to fight her sobs, but ended up erupting into more crying. Toushiro was about to speak again when he felt a hand gently placed upon his shoulder. He looked up to see Unohana standing above him, gracefully leading him out of the room. When they were outside, Toushiro looked at Unohana pleadingly.

"What can we do? She's completely lost in despair, she has no idea what's real and what's not! I can't think of anything that could snap her out of this!" Toushiro said. Unohana sighed.

"Well…there is one way to help her. It's risky, but it's the only thing I can think of that could possibly work."

"What is it? If it can help Momo, then I'm all in favor of it. What is it that will help her?" Toushiro said.

"We should give her Tobiume," Unohana said. Toushiro's jaw dropped.

"Give her back her zanpakuto? We can't do that!" he said in surprise.

"Tobiume is Momo's friend and ally. It is a part of her soul, and perhaps the only thing that can snap her out of this."

"Yeah, but Tobiume is also a sword," Toushiro said stubbornly, "She just tried to commit suicide, do you really think giving her a sword is a good idea?"

"It is true that there is a high risk to it, but it's the only way. Miss Hinamori must decide for herself whether she will allow herself to be stay fallen down in despair, or if she wishes to stand up again. It's up to her, and although the risks are high, if we don't do this now we may lose her to her despair forever. What do you say?"

Toushiro gulped. If given Tobiume, Momo might end up using it to kill herself. But it might also help her to end her despair. If she wasn't given tobiume, she would be resigned to a lifetime of misery and pain. Toushiro took a deep breath. He hated the idea of putting her at risk, but recognized this as perhaps the only way to truly return her to normal. He took a deep breath and nodded his head.

--

Momo sobbed into her pillow and clutched her head. Everything was so confusing. How could Aizen do such a thing? How could her beloved captain betray her and all of Soul Society? It didn't make any sense! He had been so good and kind to her all these years, and had helped her so much. If Aizen really was evil and living a lie, wasn't her purpose for life just a lie? What point was there to go on? But wait, Aizen couldn't be evil, he just couldn't! He was a role-model shinigami, and everyone respected him. Something must have happened to make him this way. It could have been Ichimaru, or the arrancar or something else, but it couldn't be him! But…that didn't fit with what was going on. She clutched her head. Everything was so confusing.

Suddenly she felt someone setting something down upon her. She looked up to see the sillouette of Unohana walking out of the room. She looked down and gasped. Tobiume was lying next to her. She sat up, holding her zanpakuto in her arms. This was it, her means of escape. She didn't know why Unohana had put it there, but she knew that she had to end all of this, to not be a burden on everyone, to end her pathetic life.

Momo drew the sword and held it pointed to her chest. Just as she was about to plunge it in however, she froze, and felt as if she were being sucked into another world.

She fell down hard on the ground. Groaning, she shakily stood up and looked around. She was in the midst of an orchard full of trees with bright pink fruit. She blinked and gazed around the place.

"Hello Momo, I haven't seen you in some time," a voice said. Momo turned around, her eyes wide.

"Tobiume..."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Siroi Lily, SunsetRainbow, argella1300, Blue-Eyes White-Knight BEWK, Plushietiger, Merciless Ruby, Momo21, Assault Godzilla, and Fourpeg for reviewing! Please review!


	4. Chapter 3

**Darkness**

_Chapter Three_

"T-Tobiume, is it really you?" Momo asked in shock. She had not seen her zanpakuto's spirit since she had been stabbed. Tobiume looked just like her, but she wore a powder blue yukata and her hair was worn loose and slightly messy.

"Yes, it's me," Tobiume said.

"Why did you take me here all of a sudden?" Momo asked.

"To help you of course! We've been separated far too long. I've missed you greatly Momo, and I want to help you," Tobiume said.

"Nothing can help me. I'm a lost cause," Momo said dully.

"Don't say that, you can still lift yourself out of this mess!" Tobiume said inistently.

"How? How can I ever go back to the way I once was? Even if I somehow manage to escape the grief, I'll never be able to be truly happy again! Why can't I just die like the weak coward I am!"

"You're no coward Momo and you're not weak," Tobiume said.

"Yes I am! I'm weak and stupid and a coward! There is no hope at all for me!" Momo cried. Tobiume sighed.

"Let's go up in the trees, it's more comfortable there," she said, leaping up into the branches. Momo slowly climbed up behind her. She managed to pull herself up onto one of the main branches, broad enough for her to sit on as if it were level ground. Tobiume was hanging upside-down from a smaller branch above, her legs hooked around the branch.

"Where's your energy? You used to love climbing these trees," Tobiume said.

"I 'used to' do a lot of things, like having the will to live and not being in a hospital where everyone thinks I'm crazy," Momo said in a very depressed voice.

"Aw, come on! Here, some fruit will cheer you up!" Tobiume picked one of the round, pinkish fruits and held it in front of Momo's face. "Come on, eat it!"

"No, I don't want any," Momo murmured.

"Eat it," Tobiume said.

"No, I don't want-" Momo was interrupted when Tobiume shoved the fruit into her mouth. Momo tried to spit it out but Tobiume held it in and made her eat it. She chewed and swallowed it with a big gulp panting as she looked up at Tobiume hanging from the branch above her, a big grin on her face.

"There, isn't that better?" she said.

"Better? You could have choked me!" Momo said indignantly.

"But you love the fruit, they always make you feel better!" Tobiume said.

"Well not today," Momo said, "I don't want anything other than death."

"You don't mean that," Tobiume said.

"Yes I do! I do mean it! I have nothing to live for, nothing! Captain Aizen was my world, I can't go on without him! I don't know what to do! He can't be doing all of this, he just can't!" Momo cried, "I'm so confused! I know what he did to me, but I just can't accept it! He must have had a reason, the Captain Aizen I know would never hurt me! He's always been so good, how could he have done such a thing? Did I do something wrong? Was he angry at me? Why do I have to go through all of this? Haven't I served him faithfully? Haven't I dedicated my life to serving him? Why?" Tobiume listened as Momo sobbed and cried, jumping down to a branch next to Momo and sitting on it.

"You should know. You've been told already what is happening. Aizen betrayed you and all of Soul Society and is leading the arrancar in an attack against-"

"No!" Momo shouted, her eyes closed tight, "No, I refuse to believe it! Captain Aizen couldn't do all of that, he just couldn't! I know Captain Aizen, he's a good man and an honorable captain. He's not evil! He must have a really good reason for doing all of this, or maybe he's being forced to by Ichimaru or the arrancar! He can't be doing such evil on his own! He cared for me, he would never hurt me intentionally, he was forced to!"

Tobiume sighed as she watched Momo crying and shaking her head back and forth. She leapt off of the branch she was on and landed next to Momo.

"Momo, it would be easy for me to reinforce these delusions you're forcing yourself to believe, but I can't. Aizen has hurt you so badly, and I will never forgive him for that. You mustn't give up hope Momo, you can still go on."

"B-but without Aizen I have no reason to-"

"No! You do have reasons to live without him," Tobiume said firmly, "You are a strong and respected Vice-Captain, you have good friends, and you have subordinates who will serve you to the end! You have plenty to live for Momo, don't give it up just because of your grief over your old captain's betrayal."

"Those things mean nothing now," Momo said despondently, "I'm weak, I was only made Vice-captain because it worked well for Aizen, my friends all hate me, and my subordinates will never follow a weak person who lets her emotions control her."

"Your friends care about you and want to help you Momo, they will always be there for you. And I'll always be here for you. You are not weak Momo, I know you can get stronger," Tobiume said.

"I-I can?" Momo asked. Tobiume nodded.

"You are a genius at Kido, you must realize that much. You can master the other Shinigami fighting styles as well. You are powerful Momo, you need only train yourself. You must not let Aizen win over you Momo. He thought you to be weak and threw you away. Make him sorry for that, and prove your strength to him," Tobiume said.

"I…I'm not sure I'm ready to accept what he's doing. I know he's doing bad things, but I'm still not sure that it could really be him that is doing such awful things…" Momo said.

"Fine, but you will have to confront the truth someday. For now though, get stronger. You can do it Momo, find strength within yourself and the answers will come to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Momo said, "I will get stronger. I do not know if Aizen is really evil or not. If he is, I will fight him, if not, I will free him. But either way, I promise to fight against the evil he is committing." Momo suddenly felt funny, like she was getting light-headed. She found herself fading away from her inner world. As she dissipitated into the air, she shouted out once more.

"Thank you so much Tobiume!" her echoing voice called out. Tobiume smiled.

"Your welcome Momo, good luck."

--

Momo blinked her eyes, looking around in confusion. She realized that she was in the Fourth Division once more. She looked down to see her blade pointed at her chest. She moved it away and placed it back in the scabbard.

"Thank you Tobiume," she whispered. Suddenly there was a rattling at the door. Toushiro ran in, with Unohana holding him back.

"We need to stop her, we-"

"Take a look, it worked," Unohana said gently to him. Toushiro calmed down and looked more closely at Momo. She still was frail and sickly looking, but she no longer had a miserable look to her. Instead, she seemed to be filled with newfound determination and strength.

"Momo…" he said in surprise.

"Toushiro, what's going on? What worked?" Momo asked.

"We gave you back your zanpakuto in the hopes that Tobiume would help you. While viewing you through the security cameras, we saw that you had your blade pointed at yourself. I tried to tell him that you were going through your own personal experience, but he was certain you were about to kill yourself and rushed down here. It would appear that Tobiume has helped you greatly, correct?"

"Yes, I have found reason to go on thanks to her," Momo said.

"Excellent," Unohana said, "I will go get you something to eat. I forsee that we will be able to release you soon." Momo smiled.

"Thank you Captain Unohana, thank you Toushiro. Thank you for not giving up on me."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Merciless Ruby, Assault Godzilla, sma4ever, Siroi Lily, ShadowedDagger, Snowy Peach Tsubasa, argella1300, Momo21, and StAr-StreAk95 for reviewing. Please review!


	5. Chapter 4

**Darkness**

_Chapter Four_

"Momo Hinamori, we are assembled to test your readiness to re-enter the main force of the Gotei 13," Captain-Commander Genryuusai Yamamoto said in his booming voice, "Do you understand?"

"I understand, Captain-Commander," Momo said. A week had passed since Momo had come to her senses and found the will to live again. She now stood before the ten captains to be tested in regards to her readiness to resume her post of Vice-Captain. She was nervous but excited. Though still rather weak, she was confident that she could perform the tasks required of her.

"If you would, please demonstrate your ability to properly form Kido energy."

Momo held out her hand and began forming Kido energy in her palm. It formed into glowing pink orb that floated above her hand. She internally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that she would be unable to form Kido energy after not doing it for so long, but it looked like she still had her natural skill for Kido.

"Good, now display your swordsmanship stance."

Momo drew her zanpakuto and held it in front of her in a ready stance. At Yamamoto's nod, she performed several complex swings and moves with it, demonstrating her swordsmanship abilities.

"Good. Now all that remains is to show that you cans still release your zanpakuto."

Momo nodded and took a deep breath. She held the sword out in front of her, preparing to release it.

"Snap, Tobiume!" she said. With a flash of pink energy, Tobiume straightened and produced several prongs on the sides. Momo felt a warmth spreading throughout her body as her zanpakuto released. She had almost forgotten what it had felt like to release her zanpakuto. It was like letting a part of your spirit loose, allowing your powers to flow out, no longer held back. She gazed in pride at her zanpakuto, a faint pink glow surrounding the edges of the blade. After a moment of watching closely, Yamamoto nodded and Momo returned her zanpakuto to its normal form and put it back into its scabbard, bowing to the Captain-Commander.

"Very well. Momo Hinamori, I reinstate you to your post of Vice-Captain, is there anyone who wishes to say anything further?" Yamamoto said.

"Wasn't that a rather simple test?" Byakuya Kuchiki asked, "For the rank of Vice-Captain, a much more in depth test should be administered."

"Your concerns are noted Captain Kuchiki, but Vice-Captain Hinamori has already passed the full Vice-Captain's test, this was merely to ensure that her skills were still intact," Yamamoto exlplained, "Are there any other concerns?"

"Yes," Soi Fon said, "I worry that she was too close to the traitor Aizen to continue as Vice-Captain. We should have an intense interrogation of her to ensure that she supports our side rather than his." The room broke out into argument.

"Preposterous," Komamura said.

"That is outrageous! After what she's been through you wish to interrogate her about it? We will do no such thing!" Toushiro said angrily.

"The girl was absolutely loyal to Aizen then, why would she be any different now?" Soi Fon said.

"Perhaps because he stabbed her!" Ukitake said, "The girl has gone through much pain at his hands, she would not continue to follow him."

"On the other hand, in live animal experiments a subject will often return begging to the master who beats it," Mayuri said, "She could do the same."

"So you're comparing her to an animal?" Toushiro said angrily.

"I'm comparing her tendencies to them, yes."

"Interrogation may be going too far, but I do agree that we need some sort of psychological evaluation of her before letting her rejoin the main forces," Byakuya said.

"As a Vice-Captain she'll have access to our millitary strategies and secret information. She'll be right at the top. We can't allow someone who is sympathetic to Aizen be in such a position," Soi Fon argued.

"I say we give her a chance. She is not a bad person and wouldn't ally herself with a man like Aizen," Kyouraku said.

Momo stood quietly in the center while the captains debated whether her loyalty to Aizen was too great to allow her to become Vice-Captain. She was getting nervous. Although she had decided that she would fight against him and his forces, she still wasn't completely ready to accept that Aizen was evil. A small part of her still wanted to believe that he was being forced into evil deeds or had a greater plan in all of this. She tried not to think about it. She would stop him. If he was good, she would save him from his evil actions and if he was evil she would help to defeat him. She was getting worried though that her past blind devotion to him would prevent her from returning to her rank as Vice-Captain.

"Enough!" Yamamoto said after much debate, "I have already consulted Captain Unohana, and she says that Vice-Captain Hinamori's mental health is well enough for her to return to the main force. We will keep these concerns in mind but for now, I declare her to be returned to her Vice-Captain rank.

"But sir-" Soi Fon began.

"But nothing. The discussion is over and this meeting is dismissed," Yamamoto said. Momo breathed a sigh of relief as the Captains began filing out of the room. She was immensly relieved that she had been reinstated as Vice-Captain. She bowed to the captains and left the room herself.

"So Momo, what do you plan to do now?" Toushiro asked. Momo jumped, not noticing him behind her.

"Toushiro! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Hey, you're back in the main force now, you have to address me as Captain now," Toushiro said, "So as I asked before, what do you intend to do now?"

"I guess I'll go to the Fifth Division office and start working right away. I'm sure that they've had a rough time without me, so I'll need to get back to work as soon as possible," Momo said, "When I have time I'll start training. I want to make up for everything."

"That's good Momo," Toushiro said with a rarely-seen smile, "Just don't overexert yourself."

"Don't worry Shiro-chan, I won't!" Momo said. Toushiro immediately scowled, but stopped when she bent over and gave his forehead a kiss. She smiled broadly and ruffled his hair.

"See you later Toushiro!" she said, running off.

"That's…Captain Hitsugaya…" he said in a daze, lightly touching the place on his forehead where she kissed him and blushing brightly.

--

Momo took a deep breath. She stood outside her office and prepared to enter it. This was not her normal office, but that of Captain- no, just Aizen now. It was Aizen's office, now her office. She was rather nervous. She would have a lot of work to do, filling the shoes of a captain. Not to mention the fact that she still would have to find time to train. Working up courage, she slid the door open.

"Vice-captain Hinamori!" Nelani squealed as she ran up and hugged Momo tightly.

"N-Nelani? It's good to see you again!" Momo gasped as the shorter girl hugged her tightly and buried her face in her shoulder.

"Oh Vice-captain Hinamori, I was so worried! I thought I might never get to see you again! Thank you so much for coming back!" Nelani said, crying into her shoulder.

"Thanks Nelani, but you're beginning to squish me a bit," Momo said. Nelani immediately stopped and blushed nervously.

"Sorry, I got excited and forgot you're still a bit…" she trailed off.

"Frail? Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I'll do some training and soon I'll be back to the old me!" Momo said.

"That's great Momo, keep up the fighting spirit!"

Momo turned to see Renji and Kira standing off to the side. She had been so preoccupied with Nelani that she had not noticed them.

"Izuru, Renji! What are you guys doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"We just thought we'd welcome you back," Renji said, "Plus we haven't seen you in a while and wanted to say hi."

"Yes, we're glad you're feeling better Momo," Kira said, "We were all worried about you." Momo smiled. She felt really silly now for not realizing she was so important to others.

"Thank you guys. I'm glad that you care about me," Momo said, "But if you'd excuse me, I really need to familiarize myself with this place. I have a lot of work to do."

"Well okay, see you later," Renji said.

"Bye, don't overwork yourself!" Kira said.

"I arranged the paperwork on the desktop and top drawers but there's still some stuff for you to take care of in the other drawers. Call me if you need anything!" Nelani said, waving goodbye. Momo smiled and waved back. She remembered how shy Nelani was when she first met her, how she was afraid to talk to anyone. Momo decided to take Nelani as her personal student and helped her develop her shinigami powers. Nelani came to greatly respect Momo, and worked her way up to third seat of the Fifth Division.

Momo walked over to the desk that had once belonged to Aizen. It was a large desk made of a rich reddish brown wood with ornate carvings. She felt the smooth, cold wood as she walked by it. There were several stacks of paperwork on the desk and basic office supplies. She went to the other side of the desk and pulled out the chair. She hesitated, as this was once Aizen's chair. It felt wrong for her to sit in it. Thus, she very cautiously and reluctantly took a seat.

Her feet dangled a few inches above the floor. The desk and chair were made for Aizen, who was much taller than her. She shifted in the uncomfortable chair and looked over the desk. There was paperwork next to the various basic office materials. Nelani had done a fine job sorting things, but Momo knew that she would have quite a bit of work to do.

She looked over a stack of papers. They contained things such as proposals for spending, new recruits, division transfers, statistics, financing, relations with the other divisions, assignments for shinigami in the division, and reports on missions. She took a deep breath. Already she was feeling overwhelmed. She silently began filling out the paperwork, trying not to think of how much work she would have to do.

She sat there for quite some time, scribbling notes onto papers, signing documents, reading reports, authorizing proposals, and other such things. It was getting quite tiring, but it was still much better than her time in that prison of a hospital room. She worked as hard as she could, but soon began to get tired. Her body was still quite weak, and she couldn't really take much exertion or she would quickly tire. Deciding that she would do just a few more documents, she opened one of the lower drawers to retrieve some spare paper.

Upon opening the drawer, a poof of dust came out, causing her to sneeze. The drawer clearly had not been used in some time. Blowing away the dust, she reached in and felt around for some paper. As she felt around, her hand touched something strange. Puzzled, she grabbed it and pulled it out.

Holding it out in front of her, she saw that it was some sort of a decorative band. It looked like a necklace or bracelet, but it was too small for a necklace and too big for a bracelet. It was made of a strange material that seemed like a cross between silk and regular cloth, yet was slightly elastic. Every few inches along the object, there was a small gap in the material, within which was a strange silvery glow. She was puzzled by it and was about to look at it more closely when she suddenly felt drowsy. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep.

_Momo was in a dark room. There were a few wooden pieces of furniture, but not much else. The place was dimly lit, with little visibility. It was rather creepy, and Momo didn't care for it at all._

_She tried to call out to someone, but her voice caught in her throat. She tried talking again, but she couldn't seem to do it. It was as if an invisible force had frozen her vocal cords. She couldn't even whisper. She tried over and over again to speak, but it was a futile effort. She was becoming frightened. She couldn't speak no matter how hard she tried. Suddenly there was a creak, followed by a long, drawn out hiss._

_Momo turned around, her eyes widening in fear. A dark, shadowy figure stood in a doorway, its eyes glowing red. Momo tried to scream, but she found herself unable to. She wanted to run, but she was frozen on the spot. She could only stare in horror at the creature. She was internally screaming at her legs to move, to carry her as far away as possible from the demonic creature, but her body could never scream nor move. She could only watch on in fear as the thing began to slowly step towards her._

_Suddenly, there was a loud knocking sound._

"Wake up!" an irritated voice said, banging on her desk, "Don't sleep on the job."

Momo sat up straight, looking around in confusion. She remembered she was in the office and realized that it had all been a dream. The piece of paperwork sticking to her forehead seemed to point to her having slept face-down on the desk. Looking up, she realized that Soi Fon was standing in front of her.

"C-Captain Soi Fon! What brings you here?" Momo asked, still a little dazed from her dream.

"I'm here to give you a warning," Soi Fon said.

"A warning?" Momo asked in confusion.

"That's right."

"A warning about what?" Momo asked.

"You may have gained support from the other Captains, but I'm not so trusting. I think you're going to join your old Captain," Soi Fon said icily.

"What? Captain Soi Fon, I would never betray-"

"Don't give me that crap!" Soi Fon said angrily, "When a person is betrayed, they either will roll in a ball and cry the rest of their life, return to their master to be used again, or be angry and seek revenge. You do not seem angry about it, and you have stopped crying about it, so you are a prime suspect for joining Aizen. Everyone already knows how much you worship him, it is no stretch to think that you would go to rejoin him."

Momo shivered under the intense gaze of the Captain. There was some truth in what she said, she didn't know for sure what to believe about Aizen anymore, but she certainly wouldn't betray the Gotei 13!

"Captain, I have no intention-"

"You have no intention _yet_! But you will rejoin him, I am sure of that," Soi Fon said, "You see, I too once blindly admired someone and dedicated my life to them, only for them to betray me. I was naïve and foolish, but that ended the moment I was betrayed. I dedicated myself to revenge on the person who betrayed me. You on the other hand still strike me as naïve and foolish. Be warned, I am watching you, and when you try to pull something, I'll be there." With that, Soi Fon turned and walked from the room.

Momo was left rather shaken by the accusations. Was what Soi Fon said true? Was she really at all likely to join Aizen? Perhaps in her previous hysterical state she would, but now she at least knew enough to stay with the Gotei 13. If she betrayed Seireitei and joined Aizen, it would also mean betraying Toushiro, Renji, Kira, and her division. She had no intention of doing that, no matter how badly she wanted to see Aizen again. She would fight for Seireitei, and if that meant fighting against Aizen, she would do it, even if she didn't want to.

Momo turned her gaze down to the band like object in her hand. She wondered what it could be. There was something rather eerie about it, but at the same time she had the urge to never let it go, to hold onto it. Silently tucking it into her pocket, she got back to work.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to SunsetRainbow, argella1300, sma4ever, Lena Sauran, Merciless Ruby, Fourpeg, Assault Godzilla, Ryo Muang, Siroi Lily, Momo21, StAr-StreAk95, and Snowy Peach Tsubasa for reviewing! Please review!


	6. Chapter 5

**Darkness**

_Chapter Five_

"_Hey Shiro-chan, give me another marshmallow!" Momo said._

"_You've already eaten ten s'mores, your face is completely messy!" Toushiro replied._

"_Aw, don't be mean, just give me a mallow!"_

"_Fine, here…"_

_Momo and Toushiro sat at a camp fire eating marshmallows and s'mores. Toushiro was very careful with his, but Momo was getting all messy as she put the hot and melty marshmallows on the graham crackers with chocolate. Momo's fingers and face were all sticky, and Toushiro continuously chided her for it._

"_You're going to attract a bear with all of that stuff on your face," Toushiro said._

"_Yeah, but the bear will eat you first, giving me time to escape!" Momo said._

"_How do you figure that?"_

"_Well, if the bear is attracted to marshmallows, don't you think he'd rather have the guy whose head looks like a giant marshmallow?" Momo giggled. Toushiro grumbled._

"_It's getting late, lets go back to the cabin and get to sleep," he said. They put out the campfire and cleaned the place up and went back to the cabin._

"_I'm going to go upstairs and read, go wash your hands before you come up," Toushiro said._

"_Fine, whatever," Momo said._

_After washing up, Momo headed back to the main room. She was about to walk to the stairs when the door suddenly creaked open._

"_Toushiro?" Momo said, turning around. She froze as she saw what was in the doorway._

_A four legged creature stood there, its eyes glowing red. It had hairless, grayish skin that seemed stretched across its bones. Its legs were long and slender like a deer's , but ended in paws. Its face was in the shape of a dog's muzzle, but was demonic. There were no ears or nostrils, and it had a mouth full of needle sharp teeth. The eyes were a terrifying glowing red. A long, drawn-out hiss came from its throat as it began to step towards her._

_Momo tried to scream, but her voice caught in her throat. She attempted to run, but found herself frozen on the spot, unable to move. She tried yelling for Toushiro, but again found herself unable to make a sound. She tried to force her feet to move, to carry her as far away as possible from this demonic creature. The thing slowly moved forward in a slow fashion, its eyes fixed upon her. Momo could not scream nor run away. She could only watch as this vicious looking being approached her._

Momo sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily. She clutched her head, feeling the cold sweat on her face. A dream…it was only a dream. It had felt so real, but she supposed that most dreams felt real. Still, there was something odd about the dream. She shook her head. Obsessing about a nightmare would do her no good. It was already morning and she needed to get to work today.

She had arranged to train with Renji today so as to make herself stronger. She got up out of bed and went to the bathroom. After taking a long shower, she got out and dried off. She sighed as she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She really was quite frail right now. Her bones were visible in places and most of her muscle had disappeared. She was physically a relatively small girl, but she normally had a bit of muscle mass on her, being a Vice-captain level Shinigami. She would have to work to get herself back to normal.

Dressing and eating breakfast, she went to the sixth division training compounds where Renji had promised to meet her. After arriving, she waited several minutes for Renji to arrive. When he arrived, he was looking rather worn out.

"Sorry Momo, Captain Kuchiki made me finish all of my paperwork before coming here," he said.

"That's okay, it's no big deal."

"Okay, so do you want to just spar a bit?" Renji asked. Momo nodded, drawing Tobiume. Renji drew Zabimaru and took a fighting stance. Momo did likewise. After a moment of staying silent in their stances, they began their match in a burst of movement.

Momo brought her sword down on Renji, with him blocking and redirecting her blade to the side, throwing her off balance. He swung his sword, which Momo just barely blocked. She leapt back, unable to hold up against the strike. Renji struck again. This time Momo was able to block it completely, their blades locked. Then Renji's blade began pushing Momo's back. She pushed his sword sideways, bringing hers down in an overhead strike. Renji quickly blocked it, withdrawing it and striking back before she even had time to react. She leapt back, breathing heavily.

This was no good. She could not keep up with Renji, she was just too weak. Once again she charged Renji, preparing for a sideways strike, but Renji swung his sword to meet with hers at the exact moment to both stop her and execute another strike of his own. He cut at her shoulder, with Momo barely blocking, holding the back side of her zanpakuto in her hand to steady it. Renji pulled his sword back and struck again. She barely could block his blows. Each time he struck the vibration would go up her arm, making her tire.

Momo gave a cry of battle and charged him, her sword pointed straight forward for a stabbing move, but Renji used a side swipe to both knock her blade away and give her a nasty cut on her upper arm. Momo collapsed, clutching her arm. Renji immediately put his sword away and knelt down to her.

"Momo, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," he said.

"That's okay Renji," Momo said quietly, "I know you didn't mean it."

Renji took out some bandages and began wrapping Momo's arm up. The cut was not deep, but it certainly hurt a lot. Renji noticed that Momo was crying.

"Momo, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Please don't cry," he said.

"I-I'm not crying because I got hurt, I'm crying because I'm so weak," she said, tears streaking her face and rolling down her cheeks, "You were taking it easy on me, and even with me giving my entire effort, I couldn't match you."

"You'll get stronger Momo, you just need to train. You're not weak, you just need to do a bit of work to get back to your old self," Renji said. Momo sniffled and nodded before standing up and sheathing Tobiume.

"Thanks Renji, but I need to go now," she said before running off. Renji watched her run off with a sad expression. He knew she could get stronger if only she believed in herself, but she wasn't able to see that she was much stronger than she gave herself credit for. He would talk to her tomorrow, maybe then she would come to her senses.

--

Momo cried into her pillow. Why did she have to be so weak? After talking to Tobiume, she had felt like she had hope of becoming strong, but now she knew that she was too weak to be of any importance. Even with Renji being gentle with her and her fighting as hard as she could, she was still no match for him. In the past, she used to be able to fight with him right to the end, though even then she would usually lose. She was weak now, and she wasn't sure she would ever be able to become strong again.

What use was she if she was so weak? She was no good to Seireitei and she couldn't help any of her friends, she could just sit around useless. She couldn't believe it. She had been so certain that things were going to get better, only for her to suddenly feel as if it had gotten hopeless in an instant. She was extremely depressed. She was good at Kido, but why couldn't she ever match her classmates in anything else? Even being good at Kido, she still felt weak. It wasn't fair that Renji, Izuru, and Toushiro were so good at so many things while she was only good for Kido.

As she sobbed into her pillow, a long hiss came from across the room. _You wissssssssh to be sssssstronger?_

Momo sat bolt upright, her heart pounding. For a moment, she could see the dark, demonic form of the creature from her nightmares. A pair of glowing red eyes stared at her as the shadowy creature stood in the corner of the room. Momo closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head. That was just a dream, it wasn't real. She opened her eyes and saw that there was nothing there. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was just her imagination, a trick of the shadows.

_I can give you the sssssstrength you desire. You will exceed your classsssssmates and even the captainssssssss. You need only enter the darknessssssss and your dreams of power shall become reality,_ the voice said in a sly, hissing whisper. Momo shook her head again. This wasn't real, only her imagination.

_You have great powerssssssss, but you will never accessssss them. I can connect you to your powersssssss and bring you to your full potential…_

"W-who's there?!" Momo asked, frightened. She could no longer convince herself that this was her imagination.

_Only your ambitionssssssss and darkest desiressss for power, girl. I sssssssshall bring you to your full potential. If you trained a thousssssssand yearsssss you would not be able to gain control of your powerssssss in the way I offer…_

Momo was frightened but found herself greatly allured. It was true, she always wanted to be more powerful. She wasn't a power hungry person, but in the dark corners of her mind, she wanted to be as great as Toushiro, to no longer be below him. To exceed her classmates and have them look up to her greatness. She felt her secret ambitions, which she had kept veiled beneath her normal personality of kindness, innocence, and plainness, begin to rise. She found herself standing up to her feet.

Without even understanding where she was going or what she was doing, she began slowly and stiffly walking forward. Her feet moved on their own, with her mind barely registering what was happening. She stopped at a dresser on the other side of the room. Opening the top drawer, she found the band that she had found the previous day.

She picked up the strange object. It was like cloth, silk, elastic, and rubber rolled into one. Small dots of eerie silver light dotted its side every few inches. She slipped her hand through it and looped it around twice. It was still a little loose, but then it suddenly tightened, fitting itself to her perfectly. Momo gazed at it. It really did look quite nice on her, and she found herself mesmerized by it.

Suddenly however, there was a sensation like lightning on her arm. She fell to her knees and gasped as the skin around the band began bubbling like boiling water. She clutched her arm in pain. The band began to sink into her skin, disappearing within her in moments. It felt as if a branding iron had been pushed into her skin, and she suddenly began shivering as a strange, cold and dark feeling began to come from deep within her.

Overwhelmed by the pain, Momo passed out.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Thank you to Lena Sauran, Merciless Ruby, Assault Godzilla, argella1300, Snowy Peach Tsubasa, sma4ever, Siroi Lily, StAr-StreAk95, SunsetRainbow, Fourpeg, and Plushietiger for reviewing! Please review!


	7. Chapter 6

Darkness

_Chapter Six_

Momo woke up on the hard floor. She groaned and rubbed her head. How had she ended up here? She tried to remember what had happened before, but found herself unable to think of it. Looking up, she saw that it was dawn. She had slept on the floor straight through the night! Hurriedly, she went to the shower, knowing that she'd have to get ready quickly for the day of training she had planned. She was feeling less excited about it than before, due to her defeat by Renji in their sparring match, but she still had hope that she might improve.

Going into the shower, she stripped her clothes off and entered the hot water. It felt good, and soothed the sore shoulder where Renji had accidentally cut her. She washed her dark brown hair and was beginning to wash her body when she realized that something was off. She ran a hand over her stomach and down her thighs, finding that they did not feel like they did before. She turned off the water and stepped out to look in the mirror.

Momo gasped at what she saw. Her body had changed from last night. No longer was she frail and sickly looking with pale skin stretched across the bones. Now she looked strong, athletic, and fit. She stared at herself in the mirror, unable to believe what she was seeing. Her legs, before skinny and shaky, now were athletic, firm, and powerful. Her stomach now had visible muscles on it. Flexing her arms, she saw that the muscles there were quite a bit bigger than before as well. She turned around several times, examining herself from different angles. She felt a sense of giddiness rising up within her. She was no longer sickly looking and weak, but strong and athletic. Her muscles were strong, lean, and streamlined.

Momo couldn't believe it. She spent several minutes feeling and flexing her new muscles, unsure whether to believe this was real or not. She had never looked this way in her life. She wondered what the others would say when they saw her like this. How this had happened was not important, as she could only think of what this would mean for her. She would be able to fulfill the obligations expected of her now. She would be able to be strong for others when they needed her. She would gain respect from others. She couldn't wait for other people to see how strong she had suddenly become. She wondered what Toushiro would think if he saw her right now? She turned bright red and internally smacked herself for thinking that. He would probably have some interesting thoughts about her seeing as she was currently naked.

Giggling to herself over her silly thoughts, she went to put on her Shinigami robes. They covered her muscles up, but that was fine with her. Flexing her muscles, she felt strong and powerful as she felt the muscles bulging out as she flexed. She liked the feeling, she liked being strong. She couldn't wait to test these muscles to see how great they were.

Momo rushed over to her room and began rummaging through her closet, looking for something she could test her strength on. Eventually, her eyes settled upon an old phonebook that she had taken from the human world. It had intrigued her then and she took it back to Soul Society with her, but she eventually got bored with it and forgot about it. She grinned; this would be an excellent test of her strength. Gripping either side of it, she began to rip it apart. Her muscles bulged out visibly as the hundreds of pages in the book gave way to her strength and she ripped the phone book in half.

Momo breathed a little heavily, but looked on in pride at what she had done. The phone book lay in two torn pieces. Momo stretched her arms out, watching them as she flexed them. She liked this new strength. She liked it very much. She couldn't wait to test it in her training.

--

Soi Fon scowled as she watched Momo training with Renji. She had changed from last night. Soi Fon wasn't sure how, but she had changed. She seemed much more confident and bold, not to mention she was holding her own against Renji as they sparred, whereas yesterday she could not keep up even with him going easy on her. Something very strange was happening.

Soi Fon had been spying on her since their meeting several days earlier. She knew that something was up. Earlier she had heard Momo speaking gibberish in her room when Soi Fon knew for a fact that there was no one in there. The girl was clearly mentally unstable, even if she managed to pull herself together enough to make herself presentable as a Vice-captain. Soi Fon didn't have any evidence, so she couldn't detain her, but she just knew that something weird was going on with that girl.

Soi Fon did not trust Momo for an instant. The girl herself may not even realize it, but she was highly likely to join Aizen. While alone and surrounded by friends, she may be able to convince herself that she only wants what's best for Seireitei, but Soi Fon knew better. She would betray them, she was certain of it. She wasn't sure of what the circumstances might be, but she knew that the girl would eventually turn on them. Perhaps she would lapse into insanity and run to join Aizen, maybe she would decide to go to join him for power, maybe she would conciously decide she'd rather live under delusions of Aizen than in Seireitei; Soi Fon didn't know, but she was certain that Momo would end up with Aizen.

She had absolutely no proof and could do nothing about it, but she would watch. Even in the past day, Momo had changed. She was not nearly as timid as before, and was in fact bold and strong-willed. Soi Fon couldn't figure out what had happened. She seemed stronger both physically and mentally. It just didn't make any sense. Narrowing her eyes as she watched Momo train, she growled slightly.

"What secrets are you hiding girl?" she whispered to herself.

--

Momo swung Tobiume at Renji, and he just barely blocked it. She had him heavily on the defense, and he was barely able to block her swings. Executing a series of complex swipes, she knocked zabimaru from his hands.

Renji breathed heavily as he went to retrieve his zanpakuto.

"Wow Momo, what have you been doing since yesterday, eating raw eggs and lifting weights? You're way stronger and faster than yesterday," he panted. Momo giggled.

"No, I just woke up feeling really good this morning," she said, not telling him the details.

"Well it looks like you're doing very well," Renji said, "I'm glad you're doing so well."

"Thanks, I'm glad you agreed to train with me," Momo said.

They rested for a minute before leaving. Momo said goodbye to Renji and began walking towards her division.

As she walked off, she heard the voice of Nelani call out to her.

"That was amazing Vice-captain Hinamori!" Nelani said excitedly, popping up seemingly out of nowhere, "You're so amazing Vice-captain, I'm so glad that I have someone as great as you for a commanding officer."

"Thanks Nelani," Momo said, "I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"Anyone would think highly of you Vice-captain! You are both kind and strong! You taught me everything I know and helped me to become who I am today! My greatest ambition is to become just like you!" Momo smiled at Nelani's enthusiasm and gave her a small hug.

"I'm honored that you hold me in such high regards, though I'm not sure I deserve it," she said.

"Of course you deserve it Vice-captain! You are strong, beautiful, smart, talented, kind; everything that one could possibly hope for! You are more than just my superior officer, you're my teacher, role model, mentor, and friend. Without you, I'd still be afraid to talk to anyone and stay hidden in the shadows. You were the one who taught me to not be afraid and to live life. I always thought I was weak, but you showed me that I was not. You helped me to be who I am today. Vice-captain Hinamori, I owe everything to you," Nelani said. Momo smiled, feeling honored that she was so highly looked upon by the girl.

"Thanks Nelani. Would you like to go out for lunch? I'm getting a bit hungry."

"Sure Vice-captain, I would love to!" Nelani said. Momo smiled and walked with Nelani to a place they could get lunch. She felt strong, happy, and content. She was really beginning to feel as if everything would work out for her, that things were going to turn out for the best.


	8. Chapter 7

**Darkness**

_Chapter Seven_

"Nine-hundred-ninety-seven…Nine-hundred-ninety-eight…Nine-hundred-ninety-nine…One thousand. Okay Renji, I think we've waited long enough, lets start up again!"

Momo stood up and stretched, full of energy for her next bout of sparring with Renji. Renji had asked that they take a break a short while earlier, and Momo had grudgingly obliged. While Renji rested however, Momo began doing push-ups. Renji was completely baffled. Just days earlier she was so frail that he had to make a concious effort to hold back so that he wouldn't hurt her. Now she was so strong that at times he was having to worry about his own safety. While she hadn't exactly beaten him yet, her stamina and strength in their sparring matches exceeded his. They had now gone beyond ordinary sparring and were now fighting in their shikai.

"Snap! Tobiume!"

"Howl! Zabimaru!"

Momo's zanpakuto straightened and produced several prongs. Renji's went into its signature shape of a segmented blade with pick-like protrusions. They faced eachother for a moment before clashing blades. Renji brought Zabimaru down, and Momo blocked with the flat side of Tobiume, locking a prong from her blade around one of the picks from Renji's. Her blade was not as large and were it made of ordinary metal would have been pushed aside easily. But it was not an ordinary blade, and it glowed pink with Kido energy, allowing Momo to hold it against the larger and more physically powerful blade. Momo forced the blade to the side, beginning to charge energy in her blade for an attack. Renji saw this and quickly brought his blade back, detatching the segments to form a whip of blade segments, which he swung against her.

Momo jumped out of the way, with Zabimaru crashing into the ground moments later. Renji swung it back and then forward again. Once more, she leapt away just in time. She knew that Zabimaru could only be swung in this state three times before having to return to its normal form. Momo watched closely as he withdrew the whip-like blade back and then swung it forward. Momo swung Tobiume upwards, releasing some of the energy she had been storing just as she made contact with the main segment. Zabimaru was blasted to the side, and Renji withdrew it into its ordinary shape before preparing for another attack. Momo took that split second between attacks to hurl an energy ball straight at Renji.

Renji leapt aside as the energy ball impacted, creating an explosion that blew him back a bit. Covering his eyes for just a moment to shield his eyes from the flash of the explosion, the next thing he knew Momo was upon him, her sword held back in preparation for a swing. Renji brought Zabimaru up to block, but instead of clashing blades with him, as she swung a blast of pink energy came from the blade, hitting Renji and throwing him back. He landed on the ground twenty feet away.

Momo walked up to him as he shakily got to his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm done sparring for a while though," he said wearily. Momo grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry about that," Momo said, "I guess I got carried away."

"Yeah, but you were really awesome. I've never seen you fight like that before," Renji said, "That last move, how long have you had that?"

"Well, I sort of made it up. I just focused the energy from the side of the blade instead of the tip or prongs. I got the idea from what I've heard of that ryoka boy's zanpakuto," Momo said.

"Ichigo? Yeah, I guess that was a bit similar to his Getuga Tenshou, but how did you manage to pull off such a similar imitation?" Renji asked.

"Well, Tobiume is a focus for my Kido energy, and the ryoka's technique is essentially just energy gathered along the edge of the blade and released, so I figured that I could pull it off," Momo said, "I doubt it's as well formed or as powerful as his though."

"Well, Ichigo can match an elite captain in power, so I wouldn't worry about surpassing him. Remember, he beat Captain Kuchiki after being a shinigami for only a few months, very few could match him," Renji said.

"Yeah, I guess he's another prodigy," Momo said, somewhat resentfully. Renji sighed.

"Don't tell me you're still jealous of Captain Hitsugaya?"

"I'm not jealous of him, I just wish he didn't have to be such a genius at everything. We are supposed to be friends, but how can we be friends when we are clearly unequal? I mean, I'm happy for him that he is so gifted, but…"

"But you wish that you had the same abilities," Renji finished for her. Momo nodded.

"I feel horrible for feeling this way towards him when it's not his fault, but I can't help it. It took me five years to graduate from the academy, and he did it in one! It's not fair that he, who didn't even want to be a shinigami, got all these powers! What has he done to deserve the power, the respect, the rank? It isn't fair that even though we came from the same place he rises so high while I stay low!" Momo said, now becoming visibly agitated.

"Momo, calm down. You're not acting like yourself today. Just take a moment to cool down and think about what you're saying. Nobody is to blame for him having a higher reiatsu than you, it's just a matter of chance. And you're not exactly as low as you say you are. In fact, you're something of a prodigy yourself. You graduated from the Shinigami academy a year early, and became Vice-captain before Kira and I were even considered for the position! I'll tell you one more thing: being a prodigy doesn't necessarily mean being vastly better at something, it just means reaching advanced adult-level aptitude at a younger age. He may have reached a high position quickly, but he probably won't rise far beyond that. Not to lower him in any way, but he's substantially weaker than most of the other captains."

Momo looked at Renji in awe and puzzlement.

"Since when did you know all this stuff? Those things take a lot of intelligent thinking to figure out, and you-"

"I'm going to stop you right there," Renji said hastily, "It was Captain Kuchiki who said those things. Apparently he was against appointing him to captaincy, and he tended to talk about how a prodigy isn't that great and that they just reached the pinnacle of their strength early and stuff like that. After listening to it for a while, you tend to pick it up in your head."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'm sorry, I was just feeling a little weird there for a moment. I'll go take a walk and get some fresh air," Momo said, excusing herself from the training area.

As Momo walked out, enjoying the breeze outside, a voice echoed in her head.

"_Momo?"_

Momo stopped and looked aroung a moment before finally realizing that the voice was in her head.

"_Tobiume?"_ Momo said mentally, _"Why are you here? I mean, why now?"_

"_Momo, listen to me carefully, something strange is going on with you. You are slowly becoming more jealous, ambitious, and greedy. Watch yourself Momo, you can't let yourself be devoured by these dark traits."_

"_What? But I'm feeling better than ever! I'm a lot stronger than before, everything is going my way right now, and I feel like I could take on the world! What could possibly go wrong?"_

"_I hate it when people say that. Something always goes wrong. You see yourself as becoming more confident, but with only a slight nudge that confidence can turn to arrogance and excessive pride. Your envy and resentfullness towards others can easily lead to paranoia. Your increased interest in yourself can lead you to greed and corruption. There are so many ways you can be consumed by these dark traits. Please Momo, stay the sweet girl that I've always known you to be."_

"_And go back to being weak again? No way! I won't be doing all those things you said, but I'm not going to go back to being weak and naïve again!"_

"_Momo, your old self was not weak or naïve, you were hurt in a way that no one could have anticipated. Watch your emotions Momo. Watch your envy of other, your pride, your ambition. They will take you down the wrong path if you let them get out of control. It is up to you to make the right decision. Tough choices will be ahead of you, some of which you may not want to do and at glance may not seem right, but you must make your own destiny. No one can make it for you, not me, not Aizen, not Hitsugaya. Only you. Choose well in making your path Momo."_

Momo snapped back to reality. She was standing in the street, no doubt looking like an idiot to the passersby. She hurriedly went on her way to the Fifth Division, where she still had a bit of work to do. She thought of the things Tobiume had said, but decided to push the thoughts from her mind so she could focus on her work. She wanted to finish it quickly, as she had something she wanted to ask her old friend after she was done…

--

Toushiro Hitsugaya sat behind his desk at the Tenth Division, filling out paperwork and signing documents. Matsumoto was sleeping on the couch as usual. As he filled out the work, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Toushiro said. The door slid open and Momo happily bounced in, running up to his desk.

"Hey Shiro-chan!" Momo said cheerfully. Toushiro fought the urge to smile at Momo's cheerful demeanor and forced himself into an irritated scowl.

"That's Captain Hitsugaya," he said. Momo ignored this and walked around to the other side of the desk so that she was standing next to him.

"So, whatcha doing?" she asked.

"Work," Toushiro grunted.

"Well when you're done, how would you like to take me out to dinner?" Momo asked. Toushiro lost a grip on his pen, dropping it to the desk. He slowly turned to her.

"What?"

"Would you like to take me to dinner?" Momo asked again, "I really want to spend some time with you." Toushiro's cheeks became tinged with red. He slowly nodded his head, too shocked to speak. Momo grinned and gave him a big hug.

"Thanks Shiro-chan! Pick me up at my place at six! See you there!" With that she gave him a big wet kiss on the cheek and ran off, leaving a bright red Toushiro behind.

"So you've got a little date tonight," Matsumoto said, now wide awake, "Good for you. I suppose I'd better tell you some things before you go out…"

--

"MATSUMOTO GET OUT OF HERE!!" Toushiro yelled, echoing throughout the halls of the Tenth Division.

"But Captain, you need to know ahead of time if you want to properly please Momo!" Matsumoto protested.

"First of all, I'm already aware of the concept, and you didn't need to fill me in on the details!"

"Well it'll be really awkward if you don't know the right way to move and touch her!"

"Which brings me to my other point," Toushiro growled, "Momo and I are just friends and will be doing none of that." Matsumoto smirked.

"Sure, 'just friends'. Well, don't say I didn't try to warn you when one thing after another happens and you end up in bed with her, because then you'll be wishing I told you," Matsumoto said slyly.

"Get out Matsumoto," Toushiro growled. Matsumoto threw up her hands in mock defeat and walked out of the room. Grumbling to himself, Toushiro went back to his work.

"Going on a date huh?"

Toushiro looked up and saw Soi Fon leaning casually against the wall. He had not even seen her come in.

"When did you- What do you want?" Toushiro stuttered. Soi Fon walked over to his desk, bending down so that she was eye-to-eye with him.

"I want you to do something for me," she said.

"And what would that be?" Toushiro asked, slightly unnerved by the tone she was using.

"I want you to figure out what that girl is up to. Watch her behavior and remember the things she says, then report to me after you're done with her," she said. Toushiro stood up angrily.

"You want me to spy on Momo? I will do no such thing!" he said angrily.

"You're the closest person to her, who else would I ask to do this job?" Soi Fon said.

"How about nobody? Momo isn't hiding anything, she's not going to betray us, she has the best interests of Seireitei at heart- You're just looking for things to criticize about her!"

"So what if I am? The girl is dangerous and unstable. She is highly likely to betray Seireitei, and it's my job to stop her before she can."

"On what grounds do you think she is dangerous?" Toushiro yelled, "Momo is doing better than she has in a long time, what evidence do you have to suggest any different?"

"I don't have any evidence, but I am certain that she is highly likely to betray us. When my old master left and betrayed me, I was filled with anger and thoughts of vengeance. When I look at her, I do not see those things. She-"

"Stop it!" Toushiro growled, "Momo is not like you, her situation is not like yours, and she does not think like you do! Unlike you, Momo is-"

"Stupid and naïve," Soi Fon said, "As was I before I was awoken to reality by betrayal. It's a complex bit of psychology. The fact that she's not actively showing hate for Aizen shows that she still identifies with him, and she has already voiced the idea that Aizen was not really evil. I am confident that if we allow her too, she will go crawling back to her old master."

Toushiro growled and shook in rage. He would not allow Soi Fon to insult Momo with her suspicion and accusations.

"Get out of my office," he said icily. Soi Fon turned and walked out, pausing at the door for just a moment.

"Just remember what I said."

--

Momo stood excitedly by the door, waiting for Toushiro. She had been waiting all afternoon for this. She shook in anticipation. Finally, there was a knock on the door. Momo hurriedly opened the door to Toushiro. She grinned at him. His hair was awkwardly flattened down in what seemed to be an attempt to look mature and handsome but in reality looked rather silly. Momo ruffled his hair so that it was in its normal state.

"Hey!" he said indignantly, "It took forever to get it to stay down like that!"

"Well you look much cuter this way," Momo said, "Now come on, let's go to dinner!" Momo held out her hand, and Toushiro blushingly took it, leading her off to the restaurant that they would be eating at.

When they arrived, they promptly took a seat and ordered their food. While they waited for their food, they talked about their divisions and Momo's training. They enjoyed themselves, and didn't at all mind the wait for the food.

When the food arrived, they promptly began eating. Momo had a plate of grilled salmon with small sliced fruits on the side, along with rice. Toushiro had noodles, rice, and a bowl of soup with fish and duck in it. They ate their food until they were both quite full. They paid the bill and went back.

"I really enjoyed that! Thanks Toushiro!" Momo said as they walked back.

"Your welcome Momo, I enjoyed it too." There was silence for a few minutes before Momo slowed down a little and turned to Toushiro.

"Toushiro, I'm sorry," she said.

"Sorry for what?" Toushiro asked.

"I've bee feeling really jealous of you lately. I try not to, but I can't help it! I feel horrible for being this way when I should be happy for you," she said. Toushiro put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Momo, I know that it's a bit rough to have a friend in a position above you. I felt the same way when you first left for the academy. But we'll always be friends, titles like captain or vice-captain won't change that." They were silent again for a moment.

"Toushiro?"

"Yeah Momo?"

"I want you to know, I've been thinking, and I'm not sure what to do," Momo said.

"What do you mean? Not sure what to do about what?" Toushiro asked.

"The war," Momo said, "I don't know what to believe about him. I know what he's doing is bad, but I can't make myself believe that he's really evil. I want what's for the best, but I don't know what actions are for the best. I'm just so confused about everything."

"Momo…what are you saying?" Toushiro asked in concern. He didn't like the way she was talking.

"Toushiro, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I might not do things you necessarily agree with. I have to think about things. The path I forge for myself might be different from what you want me to have, but I want you to know, I really do want what's for the best," Momo said. Toushiro was confused. What Momo said didn't make much sense. Was she just venting off thoughts from her head? And what did she mean by 'not do things you agree with'? Was she going to do something she wasn't supposed to do? He was becoming rather concerned, especially in light of what Soi Fon had said earlier. He shook himself. Was he really going to let Soi Fon make him suspicious of Momo? Of course not, he wasn't going to distrust Momo so easily.

"Toushiro," Momo said quietly, "Do you think we could stop at your house first?"

"Um, sure Momo…" Toushiro said. He led her off to his house and took her inside. They went to the couch and sat down.

"So what did you want to do here?" Toushiro asked, unsure why she wanted to comt to his house. Momo smiled at him.

"This," she whispered. She leaned forward and kissed him. Toushiro froze in shock as he felt their lips meet. This wasn't like those little affectionate kisses Momo would sometimes give him, this was a real kiss, a romantic kiss. He remained frozen as Momo kissed him. Her tongue slipped through his lips and began tracing his mouth.

After a minute of being kissed, Toushiro finally began to kiss back. His and Momo's tongues met in an electric shock that coursed througout their bodies. Toushiro had never felt quite so happy and blissful in his life. Their arms wrapped around eachother as their tongues stroked one another and explored eachothers mouths. Momo let out a tiny moan as she held tightly onto Toushiro and passionately kissed him. They were now lying down on the couch, their bodies firmly pressed together. Momo gently removed her lips from Toushiro and gazed into his emerald green eyes. She stroked his hand through his hair.

"You know that I love you, right?" she said quietly. Toushiro smiled and nodded.

"I sort of got that impression," he said.

"So do you love me too?" she asked. Toushiro lifted his head forward and gave her another peck on the lips.

"Of course," he said. Momo grinned and sat up.

"May I use your bathroom? I need to freshen up a bit," Momo said sweetly. Toushiro felt his heart beating faster.

"Um, sure Momo," he said. Momo gave him one more kiss before running off to the bathroom. Toushiro took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself. He wasn't sure exactly where this was going, but he was beginning to think that maybe he shouldn't have dismissed Matsumoto so quickly earlier.

"So it looks like you two are going to have a bit of fun."

Toushiro turned around quickly, his heart beating fast. Soi Fon was leaning on the arm of the couch.

"How did you get in here? Get out!" He hissed.

"I'm the commander of the special forces, getting in was easy, and I'm not leaving until you tell me what I want," Soi Fon said.

"Get out of my house now! Momo will be back at any minute and she doesn't need to deal with you right now!" Toushiro growled.

"First tell me what I need to know. Tell me everything suspicious that she said and did tonight and I'll leave."

"She didn't do anything suspicious, it was just a normal dinner!" Toushiro said angrily.

"You and I both know that she said suspicious things, now tell me what she said!" Soi Fon said. Toushiro paused thinking back to what Momo said. They were a bit suspicious things to say, but not anything worth telling Soi Fon, who seemed to be just looking for things to criticize Momo about. Just as he was about to tell Soi Fon that he had nothing to say about Momo to her, an upset voice pierced the room.

"Toushiro! What is she doing here?" Momo asked angrily.

"Momo, listen, I didn't want her here, she came on her own," Toushiro tried to explain.

"I heard what you said! You two were conspiring against me weren't you? You were just spying on me weren't you? I can't believe you Toushiro, why would you do this to me? I thought you cared about me!" Momo said tearfully.

"Momo, listen, I didn't-"

"You are correct in your presumptions. I contacted him to request that he report any suspicious behavior to me shortly after you asked him to take you to dinner," Soi Fon said.

"Momo, don't listen to her, I never agreed-" he was cut off as Momo punched him in the face as hard as she could knocking him back.

"I can't believe you Toushiro! How could you have betrayed me like this?" Momo said tearfully, running out of the house.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Please review!


	9. Chapter 8

Darkness

_Chapter Eight_

"Stupid Toushiro! Stupid Soi Fon! Stupid everything!" Momo said angrily, punching her pillow repeatedly. She continued until she was completely tired out, at which point she collapsed onto her bed, tears coming from her eyes. "How could he have done that?" Momo cried into her pillow, "How could he have betrayed me like that?"

"_Did he really betray you?"_ A kind voice asked. Momo looked up, glancing around the room for the source.

"Tobiume?" she said uncertainly after a moment.

"_Yes Momo, it's me,"_ Tobiume said, _"I'll ask you again, did he really betray you?"_

"Of course he did!" Momo said, "He was meeting with Soi Fon to plot against me and give her information that she can use against me! He completely betrayed my trust!"

"_And is it entirely impossible that what he said was true? That Soi Fon just butted in and began interrogating him over it?"_ Tobiume asked.

"But Soi Fon said that she had met with him before we even went out!" Momo said.

"_You know how stubborn Soi Fon is, don't you think it's more likely that she attempted to get information about you out of Toushiro and then came back later to do the same? I very much doubt that he would participate with her in any such thing," _Tobiume said.

"But…but he-"

"_Momo, you shouldn't be so quick to think he betrayed you, especially considering the last time you thought him to be a traitor,"_ Tobiume said firmly. Momo's eyes widened and she fell to her side in shock, putting a hand to her head.

"My god…what have I been thinking? What have I done? He didn't betray me, I betrayed him! How could I have suspected him so easily! What's wrong with me! We've been best friends our entire lives! I love him! How could I so easily suspect him? What kind of friend am I? I've accused him of betraying me twice…and yet he still cares about me…I'm despicable."

"_It's not your fault Momo."_

"Yes it is! I still can't accept that Aizen is completely evil and intentionally betrayed us, yet I so easily suspect my little Shiro-chan of the same? I can't believe myself!"

"_Momo, you made some foolish decisions, but it's not your fault. You have been manipulated and used by Aizen in the past, but right now you have an even more pressing concern."_

"What?" Momo asked.

"_Can't you feel it? That dark presence within you? It has made you stronger, bolder, and more confident of yourself, but that comes at a price. You have become paranoid and quick to anger. I sense increased self-interest, whereas before you were selfless and cared only for others."_

"I don't understand! Nothing changed about me, I just got stronger for some reason! There's no dark presence!" Momo said, ignoring the foreboding feeling deep within her.

"_I hope so for your sake. Something has occurred deep within you. Be careful, and watch yourself. You must proceed with extreme caution. Choose your path wisely."_ With that, Tobiume's voice disappeared, leaving Momo to ponder her ominous words.

--

"She hit you?" Matsumoto said in surprise, "She actually hit you?"

"Matsumoto , please shut up, I'm in no mood to talk about it," Toushiro said, holding an ice-pack over a black eye.

"Seriously? She hit you! Crap, you must have really screwed up!"

"Matsumoto, I said shut up," Toushiro said irritably.

"I can't believe that Soi Fon actually went that far. I guess you're lucky she didn't interrupt anything," Matsumoto said with a wink. Toushiro groaned. He had tried not to think of the kiss Momo gave him last night, but amidst his concern, his guilt, and his frustration, thoughts of it still snuck in. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened. Something inside of him just snapped when she kissed him, and he found himself with feelings he'd never felt before. Sure, he really liked Momo, and he felt warm inside whenever she gave him a little kiss on the cheek or forehead, but he had never felt anything of that magnitude before! Even now, he couldn't fully comprehend what had happened, it just came out of nowhere. And how long had Momo had these feelings for him? She had always been rather affectionate towards him, but he didn't think it extended into romantic feelings. He never would have expected her to be so bold with it, as she seemed more the type to be shy rather than forward with romantic feelings.

"So what did you do on your little date last night?" Matsumoto asked. Toushiro tensed up, trying not to look suspicious.

"Just normal things, dinner and the walk home. Get back to work Matsumoto," Toushiro said quickly. Matsumoto gave him a knowing smirk and went back to the tiny amount of paperwork she had agreed to do.

After a few minutes of silence, there was a knock on the door. Toushiro gave Matsumoto a nod, indicating that she could open the door. She got up off the couch and slid the door open, revealing Momo, who was timidly looking at the floor, a sad look on her face. Toushiro put the ice-pack down.

"Matsumoto, could you excuse us please?" Toushiro said. Matsumoto, knowing this was no time for her usual teasing, hastily left the room.

"T-Toushiro…" Momo said quietly.

"Shouldn't you be back at your division doing work?" Toushiro said.

"Um, I asked Nelani to fill in for me," Momo said nervously. There was a tense silence for a moment.

"Toushiro, I'm sorry," Momo finally said, breaking the silence, "I don't know what came over me! I know it was stupid and paranoid, but when I saw Captain Soi Fon there and you talking to her and her asking about me I thought…I thought…"

"It's okay Momo," Toushiro said, "I know that you didn't mean it. You were upset, just as anyone would be under those circumstances." Tears leaked from Momo's eyes.

"Thank you, Toushiro," She whispered, wiping the tears away.

"Momo, if I could ask you one more thing…that kiss…"

Momo turned bright red and fidgeted nervously.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I always liked you a lot, but last night something just made me want to go all the way at once without thinking it through! I'm not really entirely sure I know how exactly I feel about you, I just suddenly found myself doing and saying those things. I still really like you, and I don't know how it could turn out…but I need to figure it out for myself. It was just too rushed for me lasted night, even if it was me doing the rushing," Momo said. Toushiro nodded.

"I agree, we both need time to work these things out, and frankly, with everything going on in Soul Society right now, we might have to wait a while before we have the luxury of really being able to work out our feelings," he said, "I know that I certainly feel strong feelings towards you, but I think it may be best if we held off on any relationship until after the war is over." Momo nodded in agreement.

"Toushiro, there is one more thing…" Momo said cautiously.

"What is it, Momo?" Toushiro asked.

"There is something I need to do, and I know that it might not really be what you and everybody else would approve of. I'm sorry if my actions end up hurting you, but I must do what I need to," Momo said.

"Momo, what are you saying?" Toushiro said, startled by her words.

"Things may be difficult, and I might get into trouble, but know that I'm just doing what I hope will be for the best. I've thought a lot about it, and this is the only way. I've made all the necessary preparations, and I will do this as best I can. I just want to tell you now so that anything that happens won't be as hard on you."

"Momo, what on earth are you going to do?" Toushiro asked, now extremely alarmed. Momo gave him a small smile.

"Bye Toushiro," she said, running out.

"Wait! Momo! What are you planning?" Toushiro called after her, trying to run after her. With one eye swollen shut however, he crashed into the wall, and by the time he got up, Momo had disappeared.

"Damn it Momo, don't do anything stupid," he muttered.

--

Toushiro did his work quietly, with Matsumoto sleeping on the couch. He found himself unable to concentrate on his work, too preoccupied with thoughts of things said the past few days.

"_I worry she was too close to the traitor Aizen to resume her post as Vice-captain…" the voice of Soi Fon said in his head, "She was absolutely loyal to him then, why would she be any different now?"_

"_In live animal experiments, a subject will often return begging to the master who beats it," the cold voice of Mayuri said._

"_As a Vice-Captain she'll have access to our military strategies and secret information. She'll be right at the top. We can't allow someone who is sympathetic to Aizen be in such a position," Soi Fon said again, her words of the past few days echoing through his ears. "The girl is dangerous and unstable. She is highly likely to betray Seireitei…" "You and I both know that she said suspicious things, now tell me what she said!"_

Toushiro grumbled and thought of the things Momo had said. She did indeed say suspicious things, but that didn't mean that she was going to betray them! But then again, she did practically worship Aizen and had a tendency to lose control of herself… No, what was he thinking? Momo wasn't going to betray them! She would never do such a thing! Toushiro forced the doubtful voice in his head to be quiet as he focused on his work.

As he did his work however, there was suddenly a massive explosion in the distance, followed by alarms going off everywhere. He knew those alarms. They only went off in the event of an attack on Seireitei.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Please review!


	10. Chapter 9

**Darkness**

_Chapter Nine_

The alarm screamed throughout Seireitei even as the explosion in the distance continued to rumble. Toushiro and Matsumoto immediately stood up, knowing that something terrible had happened.

"Matsumoto, organize the division, I'm going to go find out whats going on!" Toushiro yelled.

"Wait sir, we have a message!" Matsumoto said, pointing as a hell butterfly flew in and landed on her outstretched figure. It flapped its wings several times before flying off again.

"What did it say? What happened?" Toushiro asked urgently.

"A portion of the wall surrounding Seireitei has collapsed sir! Several hundred hollow including at least ten Menos Grande have been sighted entering through the gap!"

"What? That's impossible! The wall cannot be broken, it is physically impossible!" Toushiro said in shock.

"Well we can ask questions later, we have to go stop them now!" Matsumoto said. Toushiro nodded.

"Divide the shinigami in our division into two groups! Have one stay to guard the division grounds and the other join the fight! I'll go on ahead, get moving!" Toushiro yelled, running out to join the battle.

--

Nelani gave squeak of surprise upon hearing the explosion, dropping the paperwork she was carrying all over the floor. She ran to the nearest window, and looked out to see a huge cloud of smoke coming from the closest portion of the wall surrounding Seireitei. Moments later an alarm went off, blaring throughout the building and making Nelani cover her ears. She knew that alarm, it sounded when Seireitei was under immediate attack. A hell butterfly fluttered in and landed on her finger. Nelani's eyes widened as she listened to the message.

As her mind attempted to comprehend what was going on, Nelani's feet took her running throughout the Fifth Division. She instinctively gave orders to the Shinigami in the division, telling some to guard the division and others to go to the battle zone. Although she voiced herself in a confident manner, inside she was confused and unsure of what to do. Vice-captain Hinamori had told her that she had urgent business to take care of, and left the division in Nelani's care. She couldn't have chosen a worse time.

Nelani wished that Momo were here. She was a far stronger, braver, and smarter person than Nelani was. Momo had greatly helped Nelani to gain confidence and become stronger, but she still felt helpless and weak in these situations. She was afraid that she would mess things up and hurt the division. She worried that she herself might get hurt. But most of all, she was afraid of dissapointing her Vice-captain. Momo had entrusted her with the care of the division, and if she allowed something to happen to it in her absence, she would surely be dissapointed in her. Nelani idolized Momo, and the thought of letting her down was too much to bear. She hoped that Momo would come back soon, but knew that she had to take command of things herself quickly before they got out of hand.

Nelani had no idea what to do. Should she devote her troops to defending the Division grounds, or should she send them all into battle? She tried to split the troops into groups to perform each task, but that led to the Division being under-guarded and the force to enter the battle undermanned. Knowing that this was the best she could do on her own, Nelani led the Shinigami towards the battle that she knew was about to take place.

--

Toushiro shunpoed to the site of the collapsed wall. The dust was beginning to settle, revealing the Hollows that were behind it. From the distance, he could see that there were several menos grande, as well as huge hollows that were the height of buildings. He could see Shinigami pouring into the battle zone, preparing to fight the hollows. They might be able to stop some of the smaller hollows, but it would take seated officers to defeat the menos.

Leaping from building to building, he finally reached the battle. The menos let out roars as they slowly lumbered in. The smaller hollows meanwhile surged in, overwhelming the shinigami who were fighting them. Toushiro ran into battle, drawing Hyourinmaru. He leapt off a building towards a huge hollow that was fighting several Shinigami.

"Set upon the frosted heavens, Hyourin-" He suddenly stopped in mid-air, blocked by an invisible force. Moments later, he felt a powerful shock go through his body, throwing him back onto one of the nearby buildings. He shakily stood up, still feeling the effects of the shock. What on earth had happened? He extended his finger.

"Hado number four, White Lightning," he said. An intense blast of lighting came from his fingertip. Once it reached the point where he had been repelled, the lighting suddenly stopped, as if hitting an invisible wall. Toushiro's eyes narrowed. What the hell was going on? There were other Shinigami that were going past the point that he had been blocked, why was he unable to get through?

Toushiro leapt to the ground and walked to where the barrier was. He cautiously put his hand up to where the barrier was. Upon touching it, a powerful shock went through his hand and he hurriedly withdrew it. He went back to the top of the building to observe the battle. There were numerous shinigami, but no captains or lieutenants. The Menos were beginning to use cero blasts, and the Shinigami were becoming unable to hold back the advance.

"Captain, what are you doing? Why are you just standing there?"

Toushiro looked around to see Matsumoto standing behind him.

"There's a barrier, I can't get in," Toushiro explained.

"What? But there are lots of others shinigami fighting!" Matsumoto said.

"Well I can't get through, the barrier must only repel shinigami with high reiatsu," Toushiro said.

"Let me try," Matsumoto said, jumping towards the barrier. As soon as she reached it, she was stopped in mid-air and given a powerful shock, throwing her backwards.

"Okay, I believe you," Matsumoto said as she shakily stood up, "But what do we do? The lower ranked troops can't handle those things on their own!"

"I don't know. This doesn't make any sense. How was that wall destroyed? How is this barrier here? What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know Captain, but we need to figure something out soon or all the Shinigami down there are dead meat!"

"Captain Hitsugaya! Vice-captain Matsumoto!" a voice called behind them . They turned around to see Nelani running towards them, a panicked look on her face.

"Sir, a barrier has been detected repelling everyone of high reiatsu," she said quickly, "The other captains and Vice-captains are all here and none of them can get in except for Omaeda, and he ran out immediately."

"We already figured that out, but have the other captains figured out something that we can actually do?" Toushiro asked.

"N-no sir, the barrier is extremely well made. A team from the Kido-Corps is trying to break through, but they have had little luck."

"Wait a minute, that's it!" Matsumoto exclaimed, "Nelani, your zanpakuto is Kido-based, right?"

"Right…" Nelani said nervously.

"Well if you focused enough Kido energy through your zanpakuto, you might be able to break through the barrier!" Matsumoto said.

"But ma'am, I'm not strong enough! I can't do something that big, it's beyond my level!"

Toushiro walked over to face Nelani. She was only a few inches taller than him, so he was able to look her directly in the eye.

"Nelani, you trained directly under Momo Hinamori, one of the greatest Kido masters in Seireitei. You greatly underestimate yourself. I'm not saying that you'll definitely be able to take down the barrier, but you need to at least try," he said. Nelani froze for a second before nodding. She jumped down to the ground level so that she was right in front of the barrier. She put a hand to it, quickly withdrawing it after getting a shock from it. She drew her zanpakuto and held it in front of her, taking a deep breath.

"Squeak, Kanashii Seijaku!" Nelani said. Her zanpakuto glowed blue for a second before giving off a bright flash. When the light subsided, Nelani's zanpakuto was revealed.

It was now in the form of two thin katanas side by side, blades facing away from eachother. There was a gap of just under an inch between them. They were connected at the bottom for the first several inches, as well as an area near the top about four inches from the tip. This gave it the appearance of having a hollowed out center.

The gap in the center began filling with soft blue light as Nelani charged it with energy. She thrust it forward, releasing the energy into the barrier. She felt immediate resistance from it, but kept focusing the energy, knowing that the battle was lost if she was unable to break this barrier. She could feel the energy from the barrier trying to shock her and push her back, but she held her ground. She concentrated as hard as she could, forcing energy against the barrier.

Finally, just as she thought she could go on no more, there was a loud cracking sound. A break formed in the barrier. For a moment, the entire barrier lit up in a flash of golden light, only to wink out moments later.

"She did it!" Matsumoto cried, rushing forward to join the battle. Toushiro ran forward as well, going into the rubble of the destroyed buildings. There were cheers as the captains joined the battle. Nelani shakily stood up and watched as the captains went in to fight.

Toushiro quickly defeated several huge hollows without even releasing his zanpakuto. Byakuya Kuchiki released Senbonzakura, using the petal-blades to wipe out dozens of hollows in an instant. Kenpachi Zaraki was rapidly cutting through hollows, a manic grin on his face. Komamura slashed through the waves of hollow, his large zanpakuto often taking out several hollow in one swing. Ukitake and Kyouraku fought together, fighting with their twin blades and mowing through the hollows.

Nelani watched in awe as the captains began defeating the hollows one after another. They had even begun taking out the menos with relative ease. As she thought this, a shadow loomed over her. She looked up to see a huge hollow standing above her. Nelani gave a squeak of fright upon seeing the massive hollow, but she immediately raised her zanpakuto to fight. A ball of energy formed in the gap at the tip of the blade, and moments later an energy beam was released, shearing the hollow in two as she swung her blade upwards. She breathed a sigh of relief and saw that thanks to the captains the hollows were nearly all defeated, with only a few individuals left to be defeated.

Noticing that the captains were all standing near the wall had collapsed, Nelani immediately went there. Upon arriving, she was surprised to see that there was no rubble from the wall. Indeed, the wall itself was fine except for a portion of it that was missing. What was going on? She knew that the wall kept up as a defense, and that it could be taken down at times, but she'd never heard of a single section of wall coming down. Perhaps there had been a malfunction in the system that raised and lowered the walls. But then how did the hollows suddenly attack all at once? How had all of this happened?

As the captains were talking they suddenly stopped and looked up into the sky. Nelani looked over in the direction they were facing but didn't see anything. She felt a strange sense of foreboding.

"Scatter!" Toushiro suddenly yelled. The captains jumped away just as a blast of energy hit the place that they had been standing. Nelani covered her eyes to block out the dust from the explosion. Suddenly there was another explosion behind her, this one knocking her to the ground. There then another explosion, this one further away. Another went off, and another. There were shouts of panic, shinigami ran away. Captains issued frantic orders, Nelani shakily stood up.

She then saw the cause of the explosions. Blasts of red energy were coming from one of the tall towers at the center of Seireitei. Nelani immediately recognized it as Kido, but she didn't have time to think of the implications of it as a blast of the white lightning Kido spell suddenly hit near her. She ran from the spell as it strafed the battlefield, catching several shinigami in its path. There were more blasts of red energy, occasionally interspersed by shots of white lightning. Nelani ran and took cover near a partially broken building.

Suddenly there was a massive rush of yello light that hit the a short distance away from her, creating a massive blast that leveled several buildings and threw Nelani against the one she was hiding under. Groaning, she soon passed out.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to shortchannel4, Plushietiger, Merciless Ruby, Assault Godzilla, Ryo Muang, Momo21, Siroi Lily, SunsetRainbow, and Fourpeg! Tell me what you thought of Nelani's zanpakuto. Please review!


	11. Chapter 10

**Darkness**

_Chapter Ten_

Nelani groggily opened her eyes. She was lying down somewhere soft, and could vaguely see the blurry outline of a room. She slowly looked around at her surroundings. Everything looked like blurry smudges, but she was able to tell that she was in a room, but where? In her hazy mind she tried to piece together what had happened. There was an attack, she fell unconscious, and now she woke up in an unfamiliar place, that must mean that she was in a hospital. Wait, Shinigami didn't have hospitals, so that must mean…the Fourth Division, which was the medical division, now she remembered. She thought back to specifically what had caused her to fall unconscious. They had seemingly won the battle against the hollow, but then they were attacked by another enemy. She lifted her head a little and squinted her eyes.

Her vision became clearer and more focused as each minute passed. Finally, she was able to clearly see the room around her. It wasn't much, just her bed, a small bedside desk, some chairs, and a cabinet with medical supplies, but at least it gave her the security of knowing what her surroundings were. She pressed her hands to the bed and shakily pushed herself into a sitting position. She shifted a bit to assure herself that she still had movement of the rest of her body.

She felt somewhat numb, but was feeling okay considering the circumstances. She was beginning to think more clearly now, and was remembering the details of everything. As she pondered her thoughts, a medical shinigami walked past her room and, noticing that she was awake, ran off to inform his superiors. A few minutes later, Isane Kotetsu walked in. Nelani attempted to sit up straight and bow to the higher-ranking Shinigami, but lost her balance and would have fallen off the side of the bed had Isane not caught her.

"You shouldn't force yourself, I imagine you're quite weak," Isane said, helping her back into a stable position.

"How…how long was I out?" Nelani said, her voice slightly hoarse from lack of use.

"Ten days," Isane said, "You weren't in particularly bad condition, but you gave us quite a scare when you didn't wake up after the first few days."

"I probably was unconscious for so long because I was too weak to handle a real battle," Nelani said glumly.

"Don't say that! You were probably the hero of the battle! Were it not for you, the hollows would have picked off all of the low-ranked shinigami while the stronger ones would be forced to watch! You broke down the barrier, and effectively won the battle for us!"

"Thanks, but what happened after I was knocked out? Someone was using Kido on us from one of the central buildings of Seireitei, did you figure out who it was?" Nelani asked. Isane remained silent.

"Vice-captain Kotetsu? Is something wrong?" Nelani asked. Suddenly the third seat of Fourth Division, Iemuro, strode in.

"Vice-captain, I am here to inform you that Captain Unohana has just left to attend the trial of Vice-captain Hinamori, she-"

"Shut up you idiot!" Isane hissed.

"Hey, I don't see how my informing you warrants insults and…oh…" he said, only just realizing that Nelani was awake. She was staring at them in disbelief and horror.

"W-what do you mean? Trial, what trial? What's going on?" she asked pleadingly. Isane sighed.

"Nelani, I know it's tough, but we have to wait to make sure you're healthy before we further discuss-"

"No! Please, tell me what happened! What is going on? Tell me!" Nelani begged. Isane sighed again.

"Nelani, I know that this will be difficult to hear, but it's the truth. Momo Hinamori has been arrested and is being tried for treason," Isane said. Nelani's eyes widened in horror.

"No…no, that's not possible! There's been a mistake, a horrible mistake! Vice-captain Hinamori would never betray us; she is a strong, kind, caring shinigami who is dedicated to Seireitei and her division, it's impossible for her to have betrayed us!" Nelani said, extremely upset, "She's always been there for me, even when I've had no one else. I know her, I know that she wouldn't betray us! Never!"

"Nelani, I understand your sentiment, but strong evidence has been gathered implicating her in-"

"No! No! It's not true! It's a lie! Vice-captain Hinamori is not like that, she would never do anything to hurt Seireitei! She is a good person and an ideal Vice-captain! They can't do this to her!" Nelani cried. She stood up, only for Isane to attempt to get her to sit back down.

"Please, calm down. You only just woke up and we need to-"

"No!" Nelani cried, kicking Isane in the stomach. Isane staggered back, the wind knocked out of her. Her third seat immediately went to her. Nelani meanwhile stood up and ran across the room.

"Nelani, stop! Think of what you're doing!" Isane said as she regained her composure. Nelani ignored her and grabbed one of the chairs and threw it at the window across the room, shattering it. She leapt up to it and scrambled out. Isane tried to grab onto her but was unable to. She attempted to follow, but was unable to get through the small window. She turned to Iemuro.

"Hurry, we need to catch her before she gets herself hurt," she said. They ran out of the room.

Nelani ran as fast as she could towards the first division meeting grounds, where they were no doubt holding the trial. She had to stop them; she couldn't let them convict Momo! Momo had helped Nelani so much, had been such an amazing, wonderful person, it was impossible for her to have committed treason! She had to protect her Vice-captain from being convicted on false charges. She was almost there; she could see the First Division building. She had to get there and help Momo.

"Nelani, stop!" Isane called from behind her. She looked back to see Isane and Iemuro running behind her. She forced herself to run faster. She was weak, and they were probably much stronger than her, so she knew she wouldn't be able to outrun them forever, but she desperately needed to outrun them until she could get to the meeting.

Urging her legs to carry her further, she finally burst through the doors of the first division, heading to the meeting chamber. Isane and Iemuro were right behind her. Finally, she reached the large door to the chamber where the trial was being held. The ten captains stood on either side of the room, with Momo Hinamori standing in the center, chained up like an animal. All eyes turned to her as she burst into the room.

"Vice-captain Hinamori! Tell them it's not true! Tell them it's all a huge mistake! That it wasn't you! That-" she was cut off as Isane and Iemuro grabbed a hold of her and covered her mouth, preventing her from saying anything that could get her into trouble. Nelani continued to cry and yell, though she was muffled by Isane's hand. Iemuro took out a sedative and injected it into her arm, and she soon became still.

Iemuro carried her away while Isane turned to the captains and bowed.

"My deepest apologies. Third-seat Nelani Dinn has only just woken up and is in a state of confusion. Please do not hold her responsible for her actions," she said, backing out and closing the doors behind her.

--

Toushiro watched as Nelani was taken out of the room. He could sympathize with her. He still was in a state of shock, unable to believe what was happening. He barely remembered exactly what happened, as everything was a jumbled up and confusing blur. A few days after the attack, Momo had been arrested, and charged with being responsible. Toushiro was unable to believe it. Momo couldn't be responsible for all of this, it just wasn't in her nature to do something so horrible. He didn't want to believe it, but there was nothing he could do. He felt helpless in the matter. His mind was numb, and he could barely think of what had transpired in the past week. Nevertheless, he paid rapt attention to what was happening right now, as this trial would determine his friend's fate.

"If the interruption is over, then we will proceed," Captain-Commander Yamamoto said, "Captain Soi Fon, present the charges." Soi Fon stepped forward.

"Momo Hinamori, you are charged with High Treason, Espionage, and the murder of fellow Shinigami, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty," Momo said shakily. She was pale and thin. The strength she had shown in the weeks before had apparently abandoned her, and she was now weak and sickly-looking. She was shaking in fright, afraid of what would happen.

"If that is the case, then you may present your alibi. Tell the other captains what you told me you were doing during the attack," Soi Fon said. Momo froze, and for a moment seemed like she wasn't going to speak. Finally, she managed to whisper.

"I…I had snuck into the great library used by the Central 46," Momo said quietly, her head hung low. Murmurs went through the room. The great library of the central 46 was absolutely off-limits to anyone without direct permission of the Captain-commander. Using the library without permision was itself a felony that could carry many years in prison, why was Momo confessing to it when she was already charged with great crimes? Toushiro stared at Momo in shock. Was this what she had meant when she talked to him before? What had she been doing?

"And what were you doing in the forbidden library?" Soi Fon asked.

"I…I was looking for information about former Captain Aizen," Momo said, her head hung low. Several captains whispered to eachother.

"Why were you going through forbidden information to look for information on a traitor?"

"I…I don't know," Momo said quietly, "I needed to know more about him, I had questions as to why he really betrayed us." Toushiro stared at Momo. He knew that she had these questions, but why would she go to such dramatic means to have them answered?

"I went to investigate the library, and there was indeed trace amounts of Hinamori's reiatsu on volumes of informatin regarding Aizen," Soi Fon said, "However, there were also traces of her reiatsu on other pieces of information, including military secrets of Seireitei and information on the Spirit King and the Royal Guard." Momo's eyes widened.

"No, I never looked at any of those things! Only information about Captain Aizen!" Momo said, trying to walk forward but held back by the chains.

"I notice you still call him 'Captain' Aizen, we'll take note of that," Soi Fon said, "In addition, some inforation about Sousuke Aizen has been destroyed. It is clear that Vice-captain Hinamori is guilty of that."

"No! It's not true! I never-"

"Silence! You will speak only when asked a question, is that understood?" Soi Fon said. Tears began coming from Momo's eyes and she slowly nodded. Soi Fon cleared her throat and prepared to deliver more evidence.

"When the wall collapsed, Momo Hinamori was missing, and ignored the call to action given to all Captains and Vice-captains. We suspect that the collapse of a portion of the wall surrounding Seireitei was her doing. Her division was closest to it, and it was clearly an inside job. Lower officers could never pull something like that off. The wall can only be taken down from the inside, and it was clearly coordinated to coincide with an invasion of hollows."

"We have determined that the wall was indeed brought down from somewhere in either the Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Divisions," Yamamoto interjected, "Of those, the only other ones capable of such a feat, Captains Kuchiki and Unohana and Vice-captains Kotetsu and Abarai, have been confirmed to have been doing their duties at the time, as witnessed by their subordinates. Furthermore, the Fifth was the most likely of the three divisions to be close enough to collapse the wall, and that also is where the only one who didn't answer the call is located."

"Indeed, and we have confirmed that she had been acting suspiciously before the attack. Captain Hitsugaya!" Soi Fon said suddenly, causing Toushiro to flinch at her sharp tone, "Tell your fellow captains what she said to you shortly before the attack." Toushiro glanced at Momo, who was looking at him pleadingly, her eyes filled with fear. He looked away from her and took a deep breath.

"Vice-captain Hinamori contacted me about one hour before the attack," he said, "She informed me that there was something she felt that she needed to do, something she said might get her into trouble and that others would think is wrong. She didn't say specifically what she was going to do, and left shortly afterwards."

"Very well," Soi Fon said, "This evidence should be enough to convince the majority of you of her guilt, but there is one more piece of proof, and this is what puts the final nail in the coffin: the Kido used during the battle." There were whispers throughout the room.

"As you all know, Momo Hinamori is a master of Kido, and is likely even stronger than several captains. In fact, the only ones who we can confirm as being at her level or greater are Captains Yamamoto, Unohana, Kuchiki, Kyouraku, and Ukitake. In other words, she is more skilled at Kido than half of you in here," Soi Fon said. Momo was beginning to shake violently, rattling the chains holding her. She was clearly terrified of what was going to happen, as her conviction now seemed inevitable.

"A Kido barrier was used to keep the Captains and Vice-captains out of the battle, no doubt in the hopes of letting the lower-ranked Shinigami be slaughtered by the hollows," Soi Fon continued, "The Kido was a forbidden one that required great Kido talent, and the incantation for which was found only in the forbidden library. Speaking of which, one of the pieces of information that Hinamori's reiatsu was on was a volume of forbidden spells that included this one. Eventually, this spell was broken through, and the Hollows were quickly defeated. Then however, someone from inside the heart of Seireitei began using Kido from a distance, bombarding the battle-field and killing thirty five shinigami. The attack was conducted from miles away, and only the absolute most elite Kido-users would have been able to use Kido from such a distance. Momo Hinamori is the only one capable of the feat who was not present at the battle. That concludes the presentation of evidence." Soi fon walked back to her place.

"We will now vote to determine the guilt of Momo Hinamori," Yamamoto said, "The evidence points to her having infiltrated the great library several times, gathering information regarding the royal guard, destroying information about Aizen, and learning forbidden Kido. She coordinated an attack with Aizen to have hollows attack Seireitei just as she collapsed the wall. After that, she used Kido to attack Shinigami from a distance. Captains, present your verdicts."

"Guilty," Soi Fon said immediately.

"Guilty," Unohana said sadly, regretting that she had to say it.

"Guilty," Byakuya said in his emotionless voice.

"Guilty," Komamura growled. Toushiro's heart beat faster as he realized it was nearly his turn. He wanted to prtotect Momo, but he had the responsibility to vote honestly, and he couldn't protect her from her own mistakes. He didn't want to believe that Momo had done those things, but the evidence seemed so absolute. She had to pay for her crimes, no matter how much Toushiro wanted to protect her from the consequences. But…was she really guilty? She didn't seem like she was going to do anything like that, and it wasn't in her nature to conduct such a slaughter of Shinigami.

"Guilty," Kyouraku said, tilting his hat down a bit. Toushiro's heart beat faster. This was it, he had to decide right now whether he would vote Momo innocent or guilty. As he opened his mouth however, Momo cried out to him.

"Please Toushiro! It wasn't me! I never-" Momo was cut off as Soi Fon grabbed her and covered her mouth.

"Please disregard that outburst. Captain Hitsugaya, make your judgement," Yamamoto said.

Toushiro looked at Momo. She was staring at him pleadingly, her eyes brimming with tears. He looked away, unable to look her in the eyes.

"Guilty," he said quietly. Momo's eyes widened and she collapsed, only being held up by Soi Fon, who was still holding onto her. She sobbed quietly as the other captains issued the final guilty verdicts.

"Very well," Yamamoto said, "Momo Hinamori, you have been found guilty of your crimes by unanimous vote. I sentence you to be executed twenty-five days from now."

* * *

Thanks for reading. Thank you to Lena Sauran, SunsetRainbow, Assault Godzilla, Merciless Ruby, Plushietiger, shortchannel, Fourpeg, Ryo Muang, Sandshinobi, Siroi Lily, Momo21, and Snowy Peach Tsubasa for reviewing! Please review!


	12. Chapter 11

**Darkness**

_Chapter 11_

The words echoed in Toushiro's ears. _I sentence you to be executed twenty-five days from now_. He stood there in shock, unable to process it. Momo was going to be… executed? His mind numbly registered that others were leaving the room. Momo was escorted out by members of the special forces. As he watched her being taken away, he snapped back to his senses.

"Wait!" he shouted. Only Yamamoto, Soi Fon, and Ukitake remained, but they turned to face him.

"What?" Soi Fon said irritably. Toushiro shakily walked forward.

"You…you can't execute her! Please, she doesn't deserve to be killed!" Toushiro said.

"Did you not vote her guilty?" Soi Fon asked.

"Well yes, but-"

"Then you know why she must be executed," Soi Fon said, "The girl is a traitor and is dangerous, just as I said before. I warned you all that this would happen, and it did. The traitor must be put to death."

"No!" Toushiro shouted, "No, you can't do that! I won't let you kill Momo!" He was about to say more, but Ukitake put a hand on his shoulder to quiet him.

"Sir, I must also object," Ukitake said, "Traitor or not, Vice-captain Hinamori is confused, and isn't fully responsible for her actions. Executing her is going to far."

"The decision is final. Twenty five days from now Momo Hinamori will be executed," Yamamoto said firmly.

"She killed Shinigami and caused us great damage, even as we prepare to fight a greater battle. She has critically damaged us when we need our strength the most. I will not allow her to live for that. She is currently locked up in a high security cell, and will remain there until the day of her execution," Soi Fon said, "Nothing you say or do will have any impact on that fact."

Left with no options, Toushiro ran out of the room. There had to be a way he could help Momo; he wouldn't let her die!

---

Momo shook in fear as she stood in her cell. The cell was made of dark gray stone. A door on the other side of the room blended in perfectly with the stone wall. She knew that guards were on the other side of the door, not that it mattered. This room was designed of a substance that rendered her Shinigami abilities useless. They had taken Tobiume from her, and she could not contact her Zanpakuto no matter how hard she tried.

Momo was afraid. She was going to be executed…she was going to die. She would have liked to think of herself as a proud Shinigami who didn't fear death, but once at hand, she became extremely frightened of the prospect. She felt the same fear, the same horror at the realization, that she had felt when Aizen had stabbed her. That time, between the initial confusion and her falling unconcious, it only lasted for a second, but now it was ongoing and continuous. The fear and dread was overwhelming, consuming her with terror and fear.

She sat down on the floor and curled up, crying into her knees. Why was this happening to her? She hadn't committed the crime, yet she had still been convicted for it! All of that evidence against her…she knew that it pointed against her, but she had no idea how everything pointed to her. She was so confused. Why did she have to die for something she hadn't done? Why had all the captains decided her to be deserving of death? The strict Yamamoto, Soi Fon, and Byakuya Kuchiki would be expected to have voted against her, but she couldn't believe that the others would think her guilty!

Unohana, who had tenderly cared for her when she had been injured, voted her guilty. The laid back Kyouraku had voted her guilty. Ukitake, a fair and forgiving man, had voted her guilty. They all though she was guilty, even though they weren't the type of people to so boldy pronounce someone's guilt. But most of all, she was crushed by the fact that Toushiro had voted her guilty.

"Why?" she whispered hoarsely, "Why Toushiro?" She cried into the robes she was wearing, overwhelmed with sadness. Why had Toushiro voted her guilty? She knew that the evidence seemed to point towards her, but didn't Toushiro have any faith in her? Didn't he trust her? Why was he doing this? Was he angry at her? Did he want her…dead?

Then it hit her. Of course, it was so clear, why couldn't she see it before? Toushiro was still angry at her for betraying him! She had pointed her blade at him, betraying their years of friendship. He must have hated her for it…

Momo hung her head and sobbed. It all made sense now. Toushiro hated her and wanted her dead. It was the only explanation. She felt herself overcome with despair. Maybe she did deserve this, if not for her alleged crimes, for betraying Toushiro. Yes, she deserved to die for what she had done to Toushiro. She may be losing her life, but at least Toushiro would be free of her after this. She bent her head down and sobbed into her tear-soaked robes.

"Toushiro…" she whimpered.

"_Your little boy friend is not here..."_ a snide, hissing voice said. Momo jumped, her eyes wide. She looked around for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" she said uncertainly. There was a moment of silence before the voice came again.

"_Only your darkessssst feelings,"_ the voice hissed. Momo turned around searching for the source. In the dim light she could not see properly, and could not find the source of the terrifying voice.

"Who are you? Where are you?" she said, now panicked. The voice filled her with inexplicable dread, and she found herself cowering against the wall.

"I am only the feelings and power you have yet to embrace…"

"Where? Where are you! Show yourself!" Momo said, shaking in fear.

"_Where am I? I think you already know. I dwell in the deepest recesses of your mind, where your rage, hatred, jealousy, and greed , put more bluntly, where the few parts of you that are not weak reside…"_

"What is going on? Why can't I see you?" Momo shrieked, extremely frightened. She looked around her cell frantically, searching for the source of that terrifying voice.

"_I jusssst told you," _the voice said, _"I am the personification of everything bitter, greedy, and angry within you. The things you were too much of a coward to embrace before, the things that hold the key to your power now."_

"I…You…No!" Momo stuttere, "No, you're not real, none of this is real. This is all just my imagination." A dark chuckle echoed throughout the room.

"_Not real is it?" the voice said snidely, "So you think you're going crazy? I don't blame you, you are feeble minded of course. Following Aizen, embracing that little worm Hitsugaya…_

"Don't you dare insult Toushiro!" Momo said angrily, "Who are you? Where are you? Show yourself!" She didn't know if this was real or not, but she wouldn't stand by while Toushiro was insulted, even if it was by a figment of her imagination.

"_Show myself? A bold requessssssst, but one that I shall comply to…"_

Suddenly a sharp, hot pain struck across her wrist, as if a branding iron had been pressed to the skin. She screamed in pain and keeled over, gasping for breath as an evil, cold feeling spread throughout her body. It was as if an icy dagger had been plunged into her heart, letting loose poisons into her body. Her wrist felt as if it were being branded with lightning. She looked down at it and gasped.

The skin was parting, distorting like melted wax. Momo stared in horror and revulsion as her skin bubbled and distorted, an object rising to the surface. It was an object that seemed to be a black band with dots of eerie silver light along the side. Momo gasped and choked, the pain overwhelming her. Suddenly, she remembered what this was. She remembered how a voice had allured her with opportunities of power, and how she had put on the band as if under a spell, only for it to be absorbed into her skin.

Suddenly the pain stopped, and for a moment Momo thought it was over. Then however she looked down and saw that the band was now fused with her skin, effectively attached to her. As she stared at it, a sinister voice spoke.

"_Well? I appeard for you, will you not at leasssssst look at me?" _it said. Momo frozen, not wanting to look up, but finding herself unable to look away. She slowly turned her head upwards. When she saw what was before her, she screamed.

A creature-no, a demon- stood before her. It stood on four long, bony legs that ended in paws, and had hairless black skin that was stretched across the bones of the demon. Its eyes glowed an eerie red, and it's long, canine-like jaws were filled with needle-sharp teeth. It had no ears or nose, but had mandible-like protrusions coming from its cheeks. Its tail was long and powerful, with a dagger-like barb near the end. It was at once strong, sleek, terrifying, and most of all, evil.

Momo stared in horror at the thing for some time before finally managing to speak.

"Wha-what are you?" she said in horror. The demon opened its mouth a crack.

"_I already told you. I am everything sneaky, ambitious, greedy, hateful, resentful, and angry about you. You may not show it, but you are a gold mine of the dark emotions that feed me."_

"How…how did you get inside of me?" Momo asked.

"_I didn't, you created me. The Band of Nyx gives me form, but I would be nothing without you," _the demon said, not moving its jaw as it spoke, but its glowing red eyes flaring in intensity as is spoke.

"I…I don't understand, I- No wait, this is all my imagination! This isn't real, none of it is! You're just in my imagination. There is no 'Band of Nyx' and no evil demon in my head! This is all fake, I'm just an mad woman deluding herself with hallucinations!"

"_Well we can agree on the lassssst part," the voice hissed in a snide tone, "But I assure you I am real, and I offer you greater powers than you could ever accomplish with that loser Tobiume, or the help of your worthless friends."_

"Don't insult them! Don't you dare insult them!" Momo shrieked, "You aren't real, you're a hallucination! They are great friends, and Tobiume is a great Zanpakuto! If anything, they deserve better than me!"

"_And thussssss, we get to the root of the problem, your jealousy and envy of others,"_ the voice said, _"Embrace those feelings. You have long tried to advance your zanpakuto's powers and have trained tirelessly with those so-called friends of yours, yet you have made little progress. It was not until I helped you that you became stronger."_

"You? Help me?" Momo said incredulously.

"_Indeed. Surely you didn't think it was normal to get so strong so fassssst? It was me who turned your feelings of inadequecy and envy of your friends into power, into the strength that you so desired."_

"I'm not going to get power that way," Momo said, "I won't be corrupted with your promises, and I won't take power by being resentful to my friends!"

"_But you already have. You are jealous of your classmates, as you are with the Hitsugaya brat. You are angry at him for being stronger than you, you want to surpass him."_

"No, you're wrong!" Momo said, "I'm not jealous or angry. I'm happy for him that he managed to be so strong, and I know that he has always cared about me. I couldn't betray him by being angry at him for being powerful!"

"_But he already betrayed you. He voted for you to die. He clearly doesn't feel anything towards you."_

"No! That's not true! Toushiro cares about me, he just…"

"_Voted for you to be executed. Is that what friends do? For that matter, do friends point their sword at one another? Perhaps it was you who destroyed your friendship, not him."_

"No, our friendship isn't destroyed! He forgave me, I admitted my mistakes! He held no grudge!

"_He said that he held no grudge, but do you really believe that after something like that he would so quickly forgive you?"_

"I…I don't…You're not real! I don't have to answer a figment of my imagination!" Momo said hastily. The demon emitted a low, dark chuckle.

"_Not real? I already provided you with greater strength, perhaps a more direct demonstration of the power I offer would make you understand."_ Suddenly, the long tail whipped forward and hit Momo in the chest. Momo looked down and saw that the barb at the end of the tail was embedded just below her left breast, straight into her heart. Momo gave a faint whimper as the demon withdrew the tail, pulling the barb out.

Momo fully expected to collapse from the wound, badly injured, but she found herself still sitting steadily in place. An evil feeling spread through her body, but looking down, she saw that the wound had instantly healed.

"What…what did you do?" Momo asked. She clutched her chest, wincing at the cold feeling that was spreading through her body.

"_I helped you to access your power a little bit further. You need only rely on your hate, anger, greed, and resentfulness to unlock it. You could surpass all before you, even that little whelp Hitsugaya."_

"Stop talking about Toushiro like that," Momo growled.

"_Why? You know it to be true! He voted for your death, and right now is probably off having a fun time somwhere, content with the knowledge that you will die."_

"No…no, Toushiro isn't like that!" Momo yelled.

"_He wants you dead. He hates you and has probably been plotting something like this for a long time."_

"Stop it!" Momo screamed, "Toushiro cares about me, he would never do that!"

"_He is probably celebrating your death sentence right now," the demon said, "All the while laughing at how stupid you are to think he was your friend."_

"Shut up!" Momo screamed, swinging her hand at the creature. Suddenly, a blast of pink fire came from the palm of her hand. Momo gave a cry of fright as the blast of energy burst from her hand and hit the creature, which dissolved into a poof of smoke, chuckling the whole time. Momo panted, unsure of what had just happened. She looked down at her hand, which had a large, scorched hole in the center where the flame had burned away the flesh.

"_You see? All that power is with in your grasp, if only you embraced your darkes emotions."_

Momo closed her fist and held it close to her chest, putting her other hand to her forehead.

"This isn't real," she whispered, "This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real. It's all in my head, none of it's real."

"_Sure girlie, keep telling yourself that."_


	13. Chapter 12

Darkness 

_Chapter 12_

Nelani ran through the halls of the Tenth Division, attracting stares of those around her. She paid no attention to the looks she was receiving, focusing only on what she was trying to do. She ran to the Captain's office, running straight into the door in her panic.

She crashed through the door as it broke off its hinges. She fell to the floor, hastily standing up and bowing to Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya, who was sitting behind his desk.

"My apologies for the door sir, but I need to know something! Is it true what they're saying? Someone said that Vice-captain Hinamori is going to be executed! It's not true is it! It can't be true!"

"Matsumoto, please take Third-seat Dinn outside, I can't deal with this right now," he muttered, putting his hand to his forehead as he looked over several documents.

Matsumoto walked over to Nelani's side, gently taking hold of her hand, attempting to lead her out, but Nelani wrenched herself away, stepping forward.

"Please sir! Is it true? Is Vice-captain Hinamori going to be executed?" Nelani said, tears coming down her face. Toushiro slowly looked up at her, a tired expression on his face.

"It's true," he said. Nelani gasped and looked as though she might faint.

"But…but she's innocent! Vice-captain Hinamori would never do something like that! Some of the Shinigami killed were from the Fifth Division; she would never hurt her own people! She's always been so good to us!"

"So was Aizen," Toushiro murmured, looking through his papers.

"Don't…don't tell me you think she actually did it!" Nelani said in shock. Toushiro sighed.

"I don't know what to believe. I'm not inclined to think of her doing such things, but I must admit there is strong evidence against her. I don't know…things don't add up…" he murmured, seeming to talk more to himself than to Nelani.

"But sir, surely there is something you can do! You are a captain! Can't you do something to stop this?" Nelani begged.

"A captain doesn't have authority over the Central 46. Since they were killed, their power has been transferred to Yamamoto. He has given the word for her execution, and that word carries the weight of the Central 46," Toushiro said wearily, "I can't do anything against that." Nelani suddenly ran up to him, going past his desk and grabbing his Captain's Haori.

"There has to be something you can do! Something! Anything! How can you just sit back and let her die without doing anything?" she said, quite agitated. Toushiro stood up and glared at her. Nelani backed away a little bit, cowering under his intense gaze. Though she was two inches taller than him, she could not help but feel tiny under his gaze.

"Don't you think that I've already looked for every possible way to set her free? She's been my friend decades before she even met you! Don't you think that I care more about her than anything else?"

"I…I don't know sir..." Nelani whispered.

"I've looked through everything! Every possible loophole in the law, every single possible way to set her free! None of them work! I've researched everything! There is no way to free her! Nothing I do can have any impact on this, don't you understand?" Toushiro yelled, evidently extremely frustrated.

"But…isn't there some way you could…break her out? You know…without approval?" Nelani said, quietly. He looked at her, and she internally winced. She had just suggested to a captain of the Gotei 13 that he break the law; what was she thinking?

"I've considered it, but it wouldn't do any good. I'm not strong enough to break through the defenses and get to Momo, and if I did, then what? We'd both be wanted as criminals and we'd both end up dead. Momo wouldn't want that. There is no way I could pull something like that off successfully." There was a tense silence, and Nelani was unsure what to say.

"S-sir?" she said.

"Just go, I can't deal with this right now," he muttered going back to his papers, which Nelani now realized were legal documents pertaining to her Vice-captain's conviction and execution. Matsumoto put a hand on her shoulder and guided her out. Nelani did not resist, and glumly walked out with her.

"Are you okay?" Matsumoto asked her when they were outside. Nelani began to nod, but then stopped and shook her head.

"No…I…I don't know!" she cried and ran off. Matsumoto was about to follow her, but decided that it may be best to leave her be for a while.

---

Matsumoto sat on the couch that night, drinking a small cup of sake. She wasn't in her normal drinking mood, so she just sipped it quietly as she thought of everything that was taking place. It was raining heavily outside, fitting with the glum mood that had settled over her.

She could not believe that Momo was being executed. She was such a sweet girl, and it had appeared that she had been getting so much better too! Why would she do such a thing? Matsumoto wasn't sure whether or not she was guilty or innocent. Either way though, she didn't want to see Momo die, even if she was guilty of those things. She had talked to Momo's classmates, Izuru and Renji, and they said that they saw no indication that she was doing anything to aid Aizen, and in fact said that she had been doing phenomanally well. It just didn't make any sense. It just didn't seem possible for Momo to have done such a horrible thing, to have planned such an attack and systematically killed her own troops. Yet the evidence was there, and it could not be ignored. She sighed; this was getting so complex.

Just then there was a knock on the door, and Matsumoto slowly stood up and walked over to answer it. When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Nelani standing in the rain, her hair and clothes soaked. She had a black eye, and she was shivering in the cold.

"Nelani! What on earth happened to you? Get inside before you catch a cold!" Matsumoto said, pulling her inside. Nelani was dripping wet, shivering, and crying. Matsumoto fetched a towel and began drying her off.

"What happened Nelani? Where did you get that black eye?" Matsumoto said as she dried Nelani off.

"I-I went to see Captain Soi Fon," Nelani sobbed, "I tried to tell her that Vice-captain Hinamori was innocent, that it was all a misunderstanding, and she got angry at me and pinned me against the wall. She said that she had evidence against her and knew that she was guilty. I said she was wrong and she punched me in the face. She-she said that I was stupid and naïve and so was Vice-captain Hinamori. She said that we were both the same, fawning over people who betrayed us. She had me thrown out and I've just been wandering the streets ever since."

"Oh Nelani… Why did you try to talk to her? That woman is far too unreasonable to ever listen to anybody!" Matsumoto said.

"I don't know, I just couldn't think of what else to do! I don't know what I was thinking, I just want Vice-captain Hinamori to be free so badly, I was willing to try anything!" Nelani cried. Matsumoto guided her over to the couch and wrapped blankets around her still shivering body.

"You just stay here while I get you some ice for that eye and something warm to drink," Matsumoto said, running off to the kitchen. Nelani sniffled and wiped some of the tears from her eyes. She felt guilty for making a superior officer take care of her like this, but she didn't know where else to go.

Matsumoto came back after a few minutes holding a small cup and an ice pack. She pressed the ice pack to Nelani's black eye and handed her the cup. Nelani looked down at the cup and then at Matsumoto.

"Don't worry, it's not sake, it's just warm milk. Drink it, it will calm you down," Matsumoto said. Nelani lifted the cup and took a sip of the liquid. It tasted nice and was warming, making her insides feel warmed. There was a little bit of vanilla in it, giving it a pleasant flavor. She soon drank the milk and handed the cup to Matsumoto.

"Thank you Vice-captain Matsumoto," she said, smiling a little bit.

"No problem, and please, call me Rangiku," Matsumoto said.

"Okay, thank you Rangiku," Nelani said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Matsumoto asked. Nelani shook her head. Matsumoto sighed and sat down next to her.

"I know he seemed cold today, but trust me, Captain Hitsugaya is doing everything he can to save Momo. He won't let her be executed, just wait and see."

Nelani nodded, tears leaking from her eyes. She began to cry, and Matsumoto drew her into a hug.

"Shhhhhhh, you just cry away your sorrows, it will be okay," she said quietly. Nelani broke down and sobbed into Matsumoto's breasts as she hugged her.

"It's okay, everythings okay," Matsumoto whispered, rubbing Nelani's back as she cried, "We'll figure something out, everything will be okay."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Ryo Muang, Lena Sauran, Siroi Lily, Assault Godzilla, Sunset Rainbow, Merciless Ruby, Fourpeg, Shortchannel4, Instant Classic Superstar, and Plushietiger for reviewing! Please review!


	14. Chapter 13

Darkness

_Chapter 13_

Toushiro poured over volumes of law books, documents, and reports. He hadn't slept in three days, he only concentrated on finding a way to save Momo. He had continuously tried to find a way to free her, or at least reduce her sentence, but he had no success. He looked through everything, from legal technicalities to historical cases to records of Momo's alleged crimes, but he couldn't manage to find anything to save Momo. There weren't any legal loopholes, this case was nearly unprecedented, and of the evidence he was allowed to view, he could find nothing to prove Momo's innocence.

"Captain, perhaps you should get some rest."

Toushiro looked up to see Matsumoto standing in front of him with a concerned expression.

"I'll rest some other time," he muttered, looking over yet another document. Matsumoto sighed.

"I don't think that we can find a legal way to free Momo," she said.

"I'm not going to stop trying," Toushiro said.

"That's not what I meant. I mean…couldn't we save her as with Rukia Kuchiki?" Matsumoto asked. Toushiro finally stopped reading through the documents and books to look at Matsumoto.

"It won't work," he said simply, "There is no way we could succeed were we to try that."

"But sir-"

"Soi Fon is probably monitoring us and all of Momo's other friends to make sure we don't try anything. With Kuchiki's execution, there was a considerable number of people involved, and the authorities were in chaos. We wouldn't be able to pull it off the way Kurosaki did, and I don't want Momo to feel like her friends sacrificed themselves in a vain attempt to free her. She wouldn't want that."

"But surely there must be something!" Matsumoto said.

"Why do you think I'm looking through all this? I'm trying to find something to free her, but there's nothing here! No documents, no legal precedents, no evidence of innocence, absolutely nothing!" he yelled.

"But sir, couldn't we appeal to Captain-commander Yamamoto?" Matsumoto asked.

"He wouldn't listen; the old man is too stubborn to let someone question his ruling. That would never work," Toushiro said.

"Actually it might."

Toushiro and Matsumoto looked up to see Captain Ukitake standing in the doorway.

"What do you mean?" Toushiro asked.

"I have an idea of how we can pressure Yamamoto into reducing her sentence," he said.

---

Soi Fon discussed with Yamamoto which execution method they would use to execute Momo. The Soukyoku had been destroyed, and thus they would need to find a different method. The problem was, the execution devices they had for lower-ranked Shinigami were not strong enough to handle someone of Momo Hinamori's strength. Shinigami executions were not just about killing, they were about absolutely obliterating the soul. As Shinigami were ordinarily reincarnated onto earth, killing them the normal way wouldn't be sufficient. Thus, punishment methods that absolutely destroyed the soul were created.

They had to choose the right method, or Hinamori's soul may remain intact and be reincarnated to the human world. In order for the execution to be a true punishment, her existence would need to be absolutely erased from existence.

After much debate, they decided on the Razaraika as the method of execution. It was a more primitive version of the Soukyoku, using a series of intense bursts of special energy to break apart the soul. The process lasted several seconds, as opposed to the instantaneous Soukyoku, and was extremely painful for the victim in their last moments. Just as they were about to leave, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter," Yamamoto said. The door creaked open and in walked Unohana, Kyouraku, Ukitake, and Toushiro.

"What is it that brings four Captains here?" Yamamoto asked. Ukitake stepped forward.

"Sir, we ask for an appeal to the sentence of Vice-captain Momo Hinamori," he said.

"Preposterous," Yamamoto said, "The decision has already been made."

"That again? Would you just drop it already?" Soi Fon said irritably, "The girl is going to be executed, nothing you do will change that."

"We feel that her sentence should be reduced," Toushiro said, "Evidence against her is circumstantial, and it is far too harsh a punishment for circumstantial evidence."

"The evidence is strong and proves beyond reasonable doubt that she is guilty," Soi Fon said, "You are doing this out of your connections to her, not justice. You know that she committed the crimes, and you're just trying to cover for her so that she doesn't have to pay for them."

"There is more to be said," Unohana said, "Vice-captain Hinamori is undergoing mental trauma, and should not be held responsible for any alleged actions. I treated her for a long time, and can attest to the fact that she has been struggling mentally to accept what has been happening. If she did indeed commit those crimes, I believe she was not fully aware of her actions, and should not be punished for them. The girl needs help and support, not condemnation and punishment."

"She was aware enough of her actions to deliberately deceive us all and to arrange an attack on Seireitei," Soi Fon said, "She's plenty responsible enough to be executed, and even if she weren't, I'd still see her killed. She is a menace to Soul Society, and we cannot deal with such an individual at times like these."

"Why you…" Toushiro growled, stepping forward. Ukitake put a hand out, preventing him from going further. He looked to Yamamoto.

"Please sir; we understand the seriousness of the situation, but we plead for leniency for the girl. She is a good person, and does not deserve death. Please reconsider," Ukitake said. Yamamoto thought carefully for a moment.

"Very well, I will offer a small concession. While I cannot repeal her execution, I will allow Captain Hitsugaya to say goodbye to her before her execution," Yamamoto said.

"But sir," Soi Fon protested, "The isolation leading up to the punishment is part of the punishment!"

"I have already made my decision Captain Soi Fon," Yamamoto said, "I will allow Captain Hitsugaya to meet with Momo Hinamori before her execution. I will not make any more concessions, is that clear?"

"Clear sir," Kyouraku said with a bow.

"Understood," Ukitake said. Toushiro felt a mix of emotions. He wasn't able to save Momo, but at least now she wouldn't have to die completely alone. He bowed to the Captain-commander.

"Understood. Thank you sir."

---

"No…" Momo whispered, curled up on the floor of her cell, "No, it's not true."

"_It's true girly, your little boyfriend wants you dead!"_ the sinister voice said, _"Why else would he have voted against you? Face it, he wants to see you die. He's probably laughing about it right now, talkning about how stupid you are for thinking that he cares about you."_

"No! That's not true, Toushiro cares about me! He's been good to me, even though I haven't been good to him all the time!" Momo said, "You're not real, you're just my imagination playing tricks on me!"

"_Tricks? You think it's your imagination that you're going to die soon? It won't be long now. You'll be killed and all traces of your existence will be erased. The world will forget you ever existed."_

"I…I'm not afraid. A shinigami doesn't fear death."

"_But you do. I can tell. You are terrified of the prospect. You remember, don't you? You remember how painful it was the last time you nearly died, the terror at the realization of imminent death. You are afraid, and your fear makes you weak. Why do you think that this happened to you? Because you were too weak to stop it. You let your so-called 'friends' turn away from you and betray you, leaving you to die."_

"They…they never did that!"

"_No? When you were stabbed and nearly died, who's fault was it? Was it your friend Izuru, who led away the person who could have saved you? Or was it the Hitsugaya brat, who left you in harms way, not even caring enough about you to acknowledge that you were there. The Matsumoto woman could have stayed to keep an eye on you, but she decided to follow her captain. They don't care about you girl."_

"None of that was their fault! They didn't know what was going to happen! They just..."

"_Didn't care enough about you to be bothered by it. And what of Aizen? The man you dedicated your life to attempted to kill you."_

"Aizen is an evil man, it had nothing to do with me personally. I have no more connections to him."

"_You know perfectly well that you still feel the desire to be with him, even with the knowledge that he is evil. You dedicated your entire life to something that was a lie, a mask, a ruse; why exist at all if not to continue serving him? You dedicated so much effort to him, he is a part of your very life, and with that gone, you are left with a gap that can only be filled by him. Yet you won't go back to him yet. Why? Because you are a coward. You are too frightened to dare attempt anything on your own. Your life was a lie, and soon it will be over."_

"Stop it…" Momo whispered, "Please stop, just let me live out my last days in peace!"

"_Days? I think you mean 'Day.' You seem to have lost track of time in here, so let me clue you in. Today is the day of your execution. Today you will die."_

Momo froze, her eyes wide. She began shaking in fear.

"No…"

"_Well, I'll be going for now. Only time will tell if we end up meeting again. Bye-bye girly!" _the voice cackled before disappearing.

Momo curled up on the floor and cried. She was so scared, she didn't know what to do! She was ashamed of her fear and cowardice, but couldn't help it. Suddenly there was a clunk on the other side of the room. She looked up, her heart beating quickly. Another noise, followed by a click, came from the other side of the room. Then the door opened, letting the first light she had seen in a long time in. She squinted into the light, seeing that a figure was walking towards her. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized who it was.

"T-Toushiro?"

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I originally intended this chapter to be a bit longer, but decided to split the content between this and the next chapter. Please review!


	15. Chapter 14

**Darkness**

_Chapter 14_

"T-Toushiro?" Momo gasped. Toushiro looked at Momo's pitiful form. She was extremely thin, her bones being clearly visible through her skin, and was pale and shaky. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she looked at him. She was shaking and quivering, whether from fear or due to her weakened and malnourished state Toushiro wasn't sure. Toushiro hated seeing Momo like this. He hated to see her in pain.

Without saying a word, he embraced her, holding her close to him, not wanting to let her go.

"Toushiro…" Momo said quietly. Toushiro buried his head in Momo's shoulder, hiding the tears that were coming from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Momo," he whispered, "I failed you. I couldn't stop it; I couldn't save you. I'm sorry. I tried Momo…I tried." Momo knew what he meant; she was going to die. She knew she was sentenced to death, but hearing Toushiro say that he could do nothing to stop it brought the crushing weight of that fact upon her. She too broke down in tears, crying with Toushiro.

"Shiro-chan…" she sobbed.

"Momo…" he whispered. They hugged eachother, knowing that they would soon be torn apart forever.

"T-Toushiro…I'm scared…" Momo whispered, "I've never been so scared!" Toushiro hugged her closer.

"I know Momo…I don't know what I can say or do to make any of this right," Toushiro said. He felt so helpless, knowing that his best friend was going to be killed and that there was nothing he could do about it. Momo looked up at him, sniffling a little.

"Just please tell me one thing," she said, looking at him with her teary brown eyes pleadingly, "It's not true, right? It's not true what he says?"

"What who says?" Toushiro asked.

"The voice! The demon! He's haunted me every waking moment, whispering tales of darkness and telling me horrible things! He never ceases his torment, he is always there!" Momo cried, her eyes wide and fearful. Toushiro looked at her in concern.

"Momo, no one else has been here, only you. This cell is guarded contantly, there's no way for someone to have entered. You must be mistaken about all of this," Toushiro said, attempting to calm his increasingly irrational friend's fears. Momo shook her head violently.

"No, he's real! He lives inside of me! I thought it was my imagination too, but it's real! Look!" Momo held out her arm, one area of which was badly bloodied and scabbed, as if the flesh had been torn away.

"What happened to your arm?" Toushiro asked.

"That's where he enters and leaves my body! The band! The band is his portal into my soul! I can never take it off, no matter how hard I try! I've even tried tearing off the skin, but it doesn't work! It's still there, and it always is absorbed into me whenever I try to remove it!"

"Momo, listen to yourself," Toushiro said, attempting to reason with her, "None of that stuff is possible, it's all your imagination. Stress and loneliness do strange things to a person's mind, and this is an example. There's no demon, none of that is real."

"But what he said, it's not true, right? It can't be true!" Momo cried.

"What did he say?" Toushiro asked.

"He-he said that you hated me and wanted me d-dead," Momo sobbed, "He said that you thought I was stupid for believing you and that you hate me for b-betraying you before. He said that me dying would be the best thing ever for you!" Momo burst into tears, sobbing loudly. Toushiro put a hand under her chin and tilted her face upwards towards him.

"Momo, none of that is true," he said, embracing her, "I care about you immensely. You don't even know how much I lov- I mean care for you. Don't ever believe anything different. Would I be here right now if I didn't care for you more than anything else?" Momo sniffled and smiled a little bit before nodding. Toushiro hugged her.

"Know this Momo, you'll always be the most important person in my life. Nothing, not even death, can change that." Toushiro and Momo gazed into eachother's eyes. They wouldn't be together for much longer. They slowly, as if attracted by a powerful magnetic force, leaned forward and, after a moment's hesitation, joined lips.

"Two minutes!"

Toushiro and Momo jumped, breaking the kiss and looking around, their gaze settling on Soi Fon, who was in the doorway.

"What?" Toushiro asked angrily, upset that the special moment that he and Momo had been sharing was cut short by the Second Division Captain.

"I said that you have two more minutes left before we take her to be executed," Soi Fon said coldly, turning and walking away. Momo grabbed onto Toushiro's robes.

"Toushiro…I don't want to die...I don't want to die! Not yet! Not now! I don't want to die!" she cried, sobbing into Toushiro's robes, "It isn't fair! I didn't do it, it wasn't me! Why do I need to die for it, why! I'm scared Shiro-chan! This can't be happening! I want to live! I don't want to die so young!" Toushiro embraced her, crying a bit himself.

"I'll be there for you Momo," was all he could say, "I'll be there for you right up to the end."

---

"Please! Let me go!"

"I can't! You don't have authorization to go, you'll only get in trouble!"

"But it isn't fair! Vice-captain Hinamori is innocent! She didn't do it! They can't just kill her!"

Matsumoto held onto Nelani as she fought to get away. Toushiro had ordered her to prevent Nelani from doing anything rash. He knew that Nelani would likely try to stop the execution, and that she would only get into trouble needlessly.

"Nelani, calm down! You have to calm down!" Matsumoto said, holding tightly onto the small girl as she fought and squirmed in an attempt to get away.

"But they're going to kill her!" Nelani screamed, "They're going to kill her even though she didn't do anything!"

"There's nothing you can do Nelani!" Matsumoto said as Nelani struggled, "It's over; you'd only get yourself in trouble!"

"I don't care! I can't let them do this to her! She's innocent! Vice-captain Hinamori would never do any of this! It's all a lie!" Nelani screamed, thrashing in Matsumoto's arms.

"It's too late! Nothing we can do will make a difference!" Matsumoto said firmly, trying to reason with the girl.

"You're her friend too; don't you want to save her?" Nelani said, "Don't you care that she's going to be killed? How can you call yourself a friend when you just abandon her like this?"

"Of course I do! But there's nothing I can do! There's nothing anyone can do! We've tried everything, but nothing worked! It would be foolish to try to rescue her now when we have no hope of success!" Matsumoto said insistently.

"But Vice-captain Hinamori is innocent! She doesn't deserve to die! It's not fair! We can't just let it go by without doing anything! We have to at least try!" Nelani shouted, tears running down her cheeks.

"Nelani, I know how you feel, but it's pointless! All of the captains are there, security is high, and there's no way we could ever hope to succeed! Do you really think that it would serve your Vice-captain well to have her last moments consist of watching her friends being arrested?" Nelani stopped struggling and lowered her head.

"No…she wouldn't want that…" Nelani whispered.

"I know that it's hard to accept, but it's too late to do anything now. We just have to…accept what is happening," Matsumoto said awkwardly, trying her best to comfort the girl. Nelani burst into tears and cried into Matsumoto's robes. Matsumoto hugged her comfortingly.

"I'm sorry Nelani, we did all we could."

---

Toushiro stood in front of a large circular stone platform with short pillars lining it. This was the _Razaraika_, the execution device that would obliterate Momo's very existence. At the center, Momo stood in chains, her head bowed in resignation to her fate. The captains were lined up in front of the device, with Yamamoto and Soi Fon at the front.

"Momo Hinamori!" Yamamoto said loudly, "Your punishment for the crimes you have committed will now begin! First, Captain Soi Fon shall read you the list of charges you have been convicted of!" Soi Fon stepped forward.

"Vice-captain Hinamori, you have been convicted of the murder of fellow Shinigami, Treason against Seireitei and the Gotei 13, and Espionage. For your grave crimes, you have been sentenced to death. We will now begin the execution," Soi Fon said. She gave a signal to several of her men who were operating the device via stone levers at the sides of the _Razaraika_.

Momo looked at Toushiro, keeping her eyes locked on him. She wanted Toushiro to be the last thing she would see. Tears were coming from her eyes, but she didn't scream or sob. She would face death with dignity, even if she had not done so during the previous weeks. The men operating the execution machine pulled the levers, beginning the execution.

The pillars lining the stone circle began glowing an intense blue. They stretched in length and width, forming a dome of energy over the was still for a moment, but then suddenly flared up, giving of a pulse of blinding light.

A scream of agony pierced the air for a moment as the captains squinted at the rapidly pulsating dome of energy. Moments later, the dome stopped flashing and the pillars returned to their normal state. Nothing inside the stone circle remained.

Momo Hinamori was dead.


	16. Chapter 15

Darkness

_Chapter 15_

Toushiro looked over his daily paperwork. There were some reports on hollow slayings, some new regulations on work hours to be approved, and the weekly budget report. He tallied the weekly costs in his head, jotting down notes for the week's expenses. His keen mind ordinarily was able to calculate numbers with the precision of a calculator, but today he found himself distracted. He tried to think back to the costs. He added the salaries of the Shinigami, Matsumoto's expenses (sake and snacks), and new renovations on several buildings. He just had to subtract those from his weekly budget for the division and add it to revenue through their recycling and…he lost track of what he was doing.

He growled in frustration, sweeping the paperwork to the side and resting his head on the desk. He tried to drown himself in work, but he couldn't stop thinking of it, couldn't stop realizing the horrible truth.

"Momo's gone…" he whispered to himself, grabbing onto his hair in stress, "She's really gone…"

The horrible reality was still sinking in. Momo, the sweet girl he had grown up with, the girl who had always seen past his icy exterior and been his friend, the girl who had always been there for him…she was dead. It didn't seem possible. Momo was his only real friend, everyone else either was turned away by his icy attitude, didn't take him seriously due to his age, or took him too seriously due to his position as a captain to be a true friend. Momo was the only person that was able to crack the icy shell he kept around himself, only she would neither belittle him nor hold him in such high regard that an equal friendship was impossible. He would never have a friend quite like her again.

Toushiro sighed and rubbed his head wearily. He was too shocked to express emotions, and his neutral expression did not betray an ounce of the anguish he was feeling. He had lost Momo, and worse yet, he was partly responsible for her death. If he had trusted her more, he wouldn't have voted her guilty at the trial. If he had done a better job of protecting her, she wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place. He had failed her. He failed to protect her. He couldn't protect her when Aizen betrayed and stabbed her, he couldn't protect her when she tried to kill herself, he couldn't protect her when her sanity slipped, and he couldn't protect her when she was sentenced to death. What kind of friend was he? How could he ever live with himself after completely failing Momo like that?

He had seriously considered killing himself; Momo was the only source of true happiness he really had in the world, and without her life seemed bleak and pointless. He spent much time glancing at Hyourinmaru, considering joining Momo in death. In the end though, he decided against it. He knew that were Momo alive, she would beg him not to do something like that. He knew that she would be absolutely horrified if he took his own life because of her. Aside from that, the war with Aizen was still going to occur, and Soul Society needed all the captains it had to fight him.

Toushiro clenched his fists at the thought. _Aizen._ It was he who wrecked Momo's life, he who tried to kill her, he who set in place the suspicions that eventually would kill her. It was his fault that Momo was dead. It was him who hurt her so badly that her sanity had begun slipping. It was all Aizen. Toushiro promised himself to defeat Aizen, Gin, Tousen, and all of his arrancar. He would make Aizen pay for what he did to Momo.

---

Matsumoto poured herself a glass of sake. She sat at a table with Renji and Izuru. Few words were said as they silently mourned the death of their friend.

"I can't believe she's gone," Izuru said quietly, downing another cup of sake and pouring himself another one.

"She was a good friend," Renji said, "She was never unkind and had just the right personality to lift up anyone's mood."

"I never met someone quite like her," Matsumoto said, "Brave and powerful, yet kind and gentle at the same time. She truly was one of a kind."She lifted her glass.

"To Momo," she said. Renji and Izuru raised their glasses as well.

"To Momo," they said, drinking from the cups. As they reminisced about Momo, they heard a small, muffled cry in the other room.

"You guys hold on, I'll take care of it," Matsumoto said, standing up and going to the other room. She walked up to the couch, where a figure lay curled up in a blanket crying.

"Are you okay Nelani?" Matsumoto asked. Nelani shook her head beneath the blankets.

"Is there anything I can get you?" she said gently. Again, Nelani shook her head.

"Warm milk? Something to eat?" Matsumoto suggested. Nelani just shook her head and curled up a bit more. Matsumoto sighed and sat down next to her.

"Nelani, look at me," she said. Nelani stayed still. "Nelani, look at me." Nelani remained still, not moving at all. Sighing, Matsumoto pulled the blanket off of her. Nelani stared up at her, her eyes red from crying and her black hair, ordinarily smooth and shiny, all messed up.

"What do you want?" Nelani said, "Please just leave me alone."

"Nelani, I know you're really sad, we all are, but you can't just hide under a blanket your whole life," Matsumoto said.

"But I don't know what else to do! Everything I did, I did for her! With her dead, how do I go on? She helped me get everything I have! What am I going to do? With her and Captain Aizen both gone, I'm supposed to run the division! I can't do it! I can't handle something like that on my own!" Nelani cried. Matsumoto hugged her, letting the girl cry into her shoulder.

"You'll figure something out. Your Vice-captain wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life mourning over her," she said.

"B-b-but…" Nelani stuttered.

"No buts. I know you're sad right now, and a person needs to let their sadness out, but don't let yourself become so overwhelmed by despair that you can't do anything else," Matsumoto said. Nelani nodded as she cried into Matsumoto's robes.

"Would you like some warm milk now?" Matsumoto said, "It will make you feel better."

Nelani paused for a moment before nodding. Matsumoto gave her a small smile and went off to the kitchen. Nelani sat, thinking about what had just been said. What was she going to do? She felt helpless and lost without Hinamori there to guide her. What was she going to do?

"Here's your warm milk, Nelani," Matsumoto said. Nelani extended her hand and took hold of the glass of milk. She sipped a little bit of it, the warm liquid making her feel a bit calmer. She was still really sad, but she was beginning to calm down, and realize that the best way to deal with her sadness was to remember everything her Vice-captain and mentor had taught her. Momo Hinamori had made Nelani who she was, and she would never forget that. She was beginning to realize that the greatest dishonor possible for Nelani to put upon Momo's memory was to squander her talents and skills. She was Momo's student, as well as subordinate, and Momo would be sad to see her skills go to waste while she cried over her.

"Thank you Rangiku," Nelani said, handing back the cup.

"Are you feeling calmer now?" Matsumoto asked. Nelani nodded. "Then there's something I have for you." Matsumoto took went to the other room for a minute and soon returned with a long object wrapped in cloth.

"What is it?" Nelani asked.

"It was given to Captain Hitsugaya, but he didn't want it, saying that he preferred to think of Momo has his old friend rather than as the Shinigami and Vice-captain that she was later in life. So he ended up giving it to me, and I know that no one will appreciate it more than you, Nelani." Matsumoto handed the object to Nelani. Nelani gently unwrapped it, gasping when she saw what it was.

"T-Tobiume?" she said in shock, "Are you sure? I-I didn't really do anything to deserve something like this!"

"Take it. You can appreciate it far more than anyone else can. Keep it as a little piece of Momo for you to remember."

Nelani was silent for a moment before suddenly hugging Matsumoto, starting to cry as she did so.

"Thank you R-Rangiku!" she said. Matsumoto patted her on the head and quietly walked off.

Nelani looked at Tobiume, Momo's zanpakuto. She couldn't believe that she was holding it in her hands. This was Momo's weapon and battle-partner. She was honored to be able to hold her Vice-captain's zanpakuto.

_Save Momo!_

Nelani jumped looking around for the source of the voice. What was that? It had sounded as if someone had just said…

_Save Momo!_

Nelani looked down in shock at Tobiume, which suddenly seemed to get warm in her hands. Was this what she thought it was? Was she really hearing Tobiume's voice? Was this all her imagination?

_Save Momo! Save Momo!_

"T-Tobiume?" Nelani said in disbelief. Wasn't a zanpakuto's spirit supposed to die when its owner died? Wasn't it impossible to communicate with someone else's zanpakuto anyways?

_Save her! Save Momo!_

What did this mean? Save Momo? She was already dead, how could she save her? How was she able to hear this? Was this all in her imagination?

_Save Momo! She is in great danger!_

Nelani thought hard about it. Did this mean that her Vice-captain was…alive? It didn't seem possible. Nelani put a hand to her forehead. What was going on?

---

Momo opened her eyes to a world of pain. There was a bright light above her and her entire body screamed to her in agony. What was going on? Where was she? Was she dead? She had been killed by the execution, hadn't she? So how was it that she was concious and able to think? Shouldn't her soul have been completely obliterated? Did this somehow mean she was alive?

She painfully lifted her head to see what was going on. She felt the skin stretch painfully. She was badly burned all over. She could barely move. What was going on? The wounds she had seemed fatal. She knew that large portions of her body were burned and that she must have lost a lot of blood. Surely she couldn't still be concious after all of that. She attempted to move her legs but was unable to, and to her horror she realized that they were gone, completely incinerated. A portion of her left arm was incinerated too, the flesh blackened and charred.

"Well, well, well. It looks like you're finally up." Momo recognized that voice and with all her energy turned her head to the source of it.

"Aizen..."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Lena Sauran, Sunset Rainbow, Merciless Ruby, Momo21, Siroi Lily, Assault Godzilla, Ryo Muang, Instant Classic Superstar, and Plushietiger for reviewing! Please review!


	17. Chapter 16

**Darkness**

_Chapter 16_

"Aizen…" Momo whispered in shock. She weak and in absolute agony. Her body was nearly completely destroyed, and she had no idea how she was still alive.

"Hello Momo, it is good to see you again," he said, "I must confess that I was surprised to learn that you survived. Apparently you have a degree greater resilliance than I had expected. Of course, that was not enough to spare you from this little incident." Aizen gave a slight chuckle. Momo felt herself overcome with terror. Aizen…the man who had built her up only to cruelly tear her down, the man who had betrayed Seireitei, the man who had brutally injured both herself and Toushiro. He was a madman…a power-obsessed madman. Even in her pitiful state, Momo understood the gravity of this situation. She knew that if Aizen were here, it could mean nothing good. Of course that didn't really matter to her, as she was an inch away from death and injured beyond any potential recovery.

"Why…How…What is the meaning of this," Momo rasped, barely able to speak and form words. Her entire body was burned, including her lips, tongue and throat. She could barely speak, and she had no idea how she was still alive.

"Now now, is that any way to speak to your old captain?" Aizen said mockingly, "Especially after I just saved you?"

"Saved me?" Momo said weakly, "You ruined me. You turned my life into hell. Do you have any idea what I went through?"

"Of course," Aizen said, "But it wasn't I who ended up doing this to you, it was your own comrades. One little hollow attack by me and a few circumstances made them turn against you." Momo thought of what had just been said, her eyes wide.

"It was you," she gasped, "You did this…you attacked Seireitei, you framed me!"

"Yes, but that would have meant nothing if not for the mistrust those in Seireitei have for you," Aizen said slyly, "When you think about it, I have been far kinder to you than they. I shaped you into the way you are. I may have tried to put you down after you ceased to be useful, but is that really any crueler than keeping you locked up and then charging you with treason and executing you while your friends just stand by and watch?"

Momo said nothing, causing Aizen to laugh.

"You know it, don't you? Your 'friends' didn't even care enough about you to save you. They just stood by and watched. Face it, they don't care for you one bit, have you really seen yourself? Take a look at how pitiful and helpless you are!" Aizen produced a mirror and held it above Momo.

Momo looked in shock at her horribly burned and mangled body. Her legs and a portion of her left arm were completely burned away. Her lower torso was blackened, and the rest of her was burned, blistered, and bloody. Her ears and hair had been burned off. Her skin hung onto her body in bloody, charred lumps, and was completely absent in some areas. She lowered her eyes, not wanting to look at herself.

"They used a particularly nasty execution device. It both tore you apart and burned you alive. You'd think your friends would have asked for a more painless alternative, but I guess you just had really bad friends."

"No, I had great friends," Momo said, her breathing ragged, "But I had a poor captain, a captain who would attempt to throw away the life of his most loyal subordinate rather than protect her as other captains do with their subordinates." Aizen laughed.

"On the contrary, I saved you," he said, "Take a look at your right arm." Momo glanced at it and her eyes widened in shock. The band was there, the same one that harbored the demon.

"Yes, that is what kept you alive. A little 'souvenir' for you to remember me by. It held you together and transported you here while you were being executed. And it continues to keep you alive right now, along with this special little device I've developed. Momo only then realised that the table she was lying on was emmiting a strange golden glow, and that it was somehow connecting to her.

"What is this?" she asked.

"It is the only thing keeping that pitiful body of yours alive," Aizen said, "It holds your soul together, when it would have fallen apart by now were I not here. Of course, if you feel so strongly about hating me, I guess I could just let you die."

"Fine, death is better than being kept alive by your machines," Momo said in a failed attempt at appearing brave.

"Are you sure, dear Momo? Death is forever. Don't you fear ceasing to exist? Don't you fear the end of your life? Don't you want more than anything to cling to life, no matter what the cost?"

"A Shinigami does not fear death," Momo whispered, her courage wavering.

"But you do," Aizen said, "I can see it in your eyes. The prospect of dying terrifies you."

"A Shinigami is a god of death, we do not fear that which we are gods over," Momo whispered. Aizen shrugged.

"Fine, if you really feel that way then I guess there's no point in keeping you alive. I'll just turn off this table and let you die like you seem to want," Aizen said, pulling out what seemed to be some sort of remote. He began fiddling with the switches, and after a moment he looked up.

"Are you ready Momo?" he asked, his finger hovering over a button, "Once I press this, the machine will turn off, and you will die."

"D-do your worst," Momo said, though she felt herself quaking in fear.

"Very well then," Aizen said, slowly bringing his finger down. Momo watched as his finger descended upon the button that would end her life.

"No don't!" Momo suddenly shouted. Aizen stopped his finger just as he touched the button and smiled at her wickedly.

"Oh? You've changed your mind?" he asked. Momo blinked back tears, ashamed at how weak and cowardly she was.

"What…what do you want?" she asked.

"I want to rebuild you, to make you stronger," Aizen said, "You are weak and you know it. That weakness isn't a result of lack of power, it's lack of will! Your friends held you back, they prevented you from realizing your full potential. They always thought they needed to protect you. Your friendships made you weak. If you embrace your hatred, your greed, and your envy, you will become greater than any of them! You've already seen what you can do when you embrace those feelings. Once you're rebuilt, you can embrace those and become far greater than those fools who attempted to keep you down." Momo glared at Aizen.

"No, I'm not going to be like that. Those are evil emotions that corrupt a person. I will not become that, even if it would give me power."

"Not just power, everything you ever wanted. You saw yourself what a little nudge in your attitude could do for you. You've had a crush on that little friend of yours for years now, yet it wasn't until I granted you a means to let your greed, selfishness, and lust out that you finally were able to engage him in any romantic relationship."

"You…manipulated me into all of that?" Momo said angrily.

"Oh heavens no, I just helped you express the feelings that you would never embrace yourself. Your resent towards others for being stronger than you, your lust for the Hitsugaya boy, your anger at those who made you weak. I can see that you are filled to the brim with those types of feelings. If you only let them out, you will become far greater than in your wildest dreams."

"What do you want from me?" Momo asked, "Why are you doing all of this?"

"I already told you. I want to rebuild you, to give you new life. A new body that will not be weak like your current one, but strong, and able to take revenge on all who kept you down."

"You want me to join you," Momo said, "But I won't. I will never join you. I would take death before life in your control."

"Who said anything about joining me? I will rebuild that pitiful body of yours. What you do then is entirely up to you. Will you accept my offer, or would you rather be left to die? Choose your fate, Momo."

Momo closed her eyes. She didn't want to take Aizens offer; she knew he had something else planned. But…she was afraid. She didn't want to die, she wanted to live. Her body was mangled and helpless. She wouldn't live if she were left in this state. Aizen was offering her a way to rebuild her destroyed body and save her life. Tears leaked from her eyes. She hated herself for being such a foolish coward.

"I…I accept."


	18. Chapter 17

**Darkness**

_Chapter 17_

_Momo's world came crumbling down before her eyes. She stared in utter shock, paralyzed in horror. She screamed, the only action she could manage as her entire life derailed. Soon the other Vice-captains came, attracted by the scream. They asked her what happened, but she could not even speak, only stare in horror._

_Her beloved Catptain Aizen was dead, pinned to the wall with his own zanpakuto. This wasn't happening…it couldn't be happening! Momo had dedicated her whole life to this man, he couldn't die, he couldn't! She shakily walked forward, murmuring her captains name. This couldn't be happening…but it was happening. This was real, she could see it with her own eyes._

"_Captain Aizen!!!" she screamed, falling to her knees and weeping. The other Vice-captains stood in shock, unable to believe what was happening themselves._

"_Who's screaming this early in the mornin'?" a voice said. Momo and the others turned to see Gin Ichimaru standing there, his ever-present smile on his face._

"_Oh dear, this here's a pretty serious incident, eh?" he chuckled. Momo stared at him, Toushiro's words echoing through her ears._

'_Listen to me Momo, watch out for the Third Division," he had said, "Especially…if you ever see Captain Aizen go walking out alone…" Momo froze, all the pieces coming together._

"_It was you!!!" she screamed. She charged at him, drawing her sword. Her anger burst forth from her. It was him, he took Captain Aizen away from her! He murdered her captain! She woudn't let him get away with this! She had her sword out and swung it as hard as she could at Ichimaru._

_The next thing Momo knew, Ichimaru was standing just behind her, holding onto her wrist._

"_Now, now, don't be rash," he said in a mocking voice. Momo wrenched herself away from him and attacked again, slashing and stabbing wildly at the man who had killed her captain. Ichimaru didn't even draw his sword. He effortly dodged her attacks, enraging her further._

"_Well if you're going to be that way I guess there's no choice…" he said with an even wider smile than usual. Before Momo had even realized what had happened, Ichimaru had drawn his sword and slashed her across the stomach, nearly cleaving her in half. Her blood was flung into the air by the speed and force of Ichimaru's strike, and Momo fell to the ground, crying and spitting up blood. She looked up at Ichimaru and his taunting grin as she slowly began to lose conciousnes._

_---_

"_It was you!" Momo screamed,chargint at Ichimaru and drawing her sword. She swung it as hard as she could, but it didn't make contact with Ichimaru. Her friend Kira stood there, his sword held firmly in his hands, guarding his Captain from Momo's attack._

"_Izuru…why?" Momo asked in shock. Ichimaru had killed Aizen, how could Izuru defend him?_

"_I'm the Vice-captain of the Third Division. No matter what the reason, I can't allow anyone to point a sword at my captain!" Kira said. Ichimaru smirked and began to walk away. Momo tried to attack him again, but Kira pushed his sword further against her's, preventing her from attacking._

"_He's a murderer Izuru, please let me go!" Momo pleaded with her friend. Ichimaru would get away if she didn't stop him._

"_You know I can't do that," Kira said. Momo couldn't believe her friend was doing this._

"_Can't you hear me telling you to move?" she screamed._

"_Can't you hear me telling you I can't?" Kira yelled in return. Momo watched as Ichimaru got away._

"_Snap! Tobiume!" she yelled. There was a flash of bright pink light as Momo released her zanpakuto. An explosion blasted them both away. Kira got to his feet._

"_You dare release your zanpakuto here? How reckless!" he said, "Don't you realize what you're doing?" Momo launched an energy ball that flew past Kira towards Ichimaru, who deflected it into the side of a building._

"_I see. I guess I have no choice," Kira said, "Since you won't stop, I have no choice but to treat you as an enemy." He leapt up into the air, his sword drawn back._

"_Raise your head, Wabisuke!" he said. His blade became a square hook. Momo readied herself for the attack._

_Their swords clashed. Momo knew his Zanpakuto's power, and she knew she couldn't afford to let her sword get hit by his again. She released energy from her zanpakuto, creating an explosion and throwing them both back._

_Kira leapt into the air, Momo drew her sword back, ready for a strike, but the smoke from the previous explosion clouded her vision. She felt a sharp pain, and she realized she had been slashed across the chest. She fell to the ground in a pool of blood._

_---_

_Momo and Kira fought eachother. Momo took care not to let the swords touch, as she knew that would spell her defeat. She launched an energy ball at Kira, throwing him off balance. She prepared to finish him with another blast._

_Suddenly, a pain shot through her stomach. She looked down and realized she had been pierced by a long blade. The blade withdrew, and Momo followed it's path right to Ichimaru. He put his zanpakuto away, smirking._

"_I can't let you go hurtin' my Vice-captain now can I?" he taunted. Momo coughed up blood on the ground, cursing her weakness and stupidity for forgetting about Ichimaru._

_---_

_Momo leapt between Toushiro and Ichimaru, a dark look on her face._

"_Finally, I found you," she said quietly, drawing her sword._

"_Stop! He's too strong for you!" Toushiro shouted at her, "Back down and leave this to me!"_

_Momo put her blade at Toushiro's neck. He looked at her in shock._

"_Momo?" he said in shock. Momo felt her emotions welling up inside of her, but she kept her hand steady and maintained a look of determination on her face._

"_You're Captain Aizen's murderer," she said, "He wrote it all in the letter. He said that if he died, that it was his final wish that I defeat you." Momo began crying as she thought of killing Toushiro. Her hand shook, but she still held her sword to Toushiro's neck._

_Momo screamed and brought her blade down, crashing into the roof. Toushiro leapt away unharmed._

"_Stop it! Think of what you're doing!" Toushiro yelled at her, "Because he died, he wants you to fight his battle? Do you really think that Captain Aizen would say that?"_

"_But that's what it says! It has to be true!" Momo yelled, "It was Captain Aizen's handwriting! I didn't want to believe it either, but it's what Captain Aizen wrote! I have to do this, for Captain Aizen!" Momo swung her sword wildly at Toushiro, and he dodged her strikes. Momo finally stopped, shaking and crying._

"_I… I… I don't…know what to do anymore, Shiro-chan," she whispered. Tears streamed down her face. She cared so much for Toushiro, but what Captain Aizen wrote was true, it had to be! Toushiro was Aizen's killer, and it was her duty to avenge his death! She screamed again, and attacked him._

_Toushiro leapt back into the air. He stared at her for a moment before changing his gaze to something else. As he was in the air, he drew his sword in preparation to strike. Momo jumped up at him, assuming his sword blow was for her. Toushiro tried to stop, but it was too late._

_His sword slashed Momo across the stomach, dropping her to the ground._

"_Momo!" he yelled, rushing to her. Momo lay bleeding on the ground. She didn't expect that she would be wounded like this. She should have expected it, seeing as Toushiro had managed to kill Captain Aizen. She cried, anguished by her failure to avenge her captain. As blood oozed out of her wounds, she cursed herself for being so weak._

_---_

_Momo entered the Central 46 chambers. She gasped; all the members were dead. She looked around, but didn't see anyone. What had happened? Was it Toushiro who killed them? He killed Captain Aizen, so it would fit if he did this too. Suddenly, there was a noise behind her. She was about to turn, but a hand came around and went over her mouth. At the same time, a sword pierced her back, coming out through her stomah. Momo screamed into the hand. The sword was withdrawn and she fell to the ground. She looked up to see Ichimaru standing over her, that sly smirk on his face._

_---_

_Momo turned to see Ichimaru standing behind her._

"_Captain Ichimaru…" she whispered._

"_Come with me," he said, walking forwards. Momo didn't know what to do, but followed him. He lead her through the Central 46 chambers and into the private residence of the Central 46._

"_Why did you bring me here?" she asked as they walked into a room._

"_There's someone who wants to meet you," Ichimaru said, "Look behind you."_

"_Behind me?" she repeated, turning around. Her eyes widened. Captain Aizen stood in the doorway._

"_Captain Aizen…" she whispered, unable to believe it._

"_It's bee a while. Nice to see you again, Momo," Aizen said._

"_Is it really you?" Momo asked, unable to believe what was happening, "I thought you died."_

"_As you can see, I'm quite alive," Aizen said. Momo walked forward, drawn to her captain._

"_Captain Aizen…Captain Aizen!" she said to herself as she walked up to him. She grabbed onto his Haori, "Captain Aizen…"_

"_I'm sorry for worrying you," Aizen said, putting a hand on her head. Momo remembered how her captain had always put his hand on her head in the past, how it would wash away her troubles and make everything feel okay. It really was him! She began crying into Aizen's robes, overcome with emotion. Aizen hugged her._

"_You've lost a lot of weight," he noted, "I'm sorry I made you suffer so much, but I hope you can understand, there was something I had to do. That's why I had to fake my death."_

"_It's okay, it's alright!" Momo said, "Just knowing you're alive is enough." Aizen hugged her._

"_Thank you Momo. I'm truly glad to have you as my subordinate. Thank you Momo, from the bottom of my heart," Aizen said, "Goodbye."_

_An intense pain shot through Momo's body. She looked down, and saw a sword stuck into her was this? She put a shaky hand to the sword, touching the blood that was pouring from the wound. She slowly looked up at Aizen, who was holding the sword._

"_No…" she whispered. Aizen withdrew the sword, and Momo collapsed in a pool of blood._

---

Momo floated in a tank of greenish liquid. Wires were attatched all over her body. Her skin and limbs were slowly healing, though she was still horribly injured. Her limbs were still mangled but slowly regrowing and her charred and bloodied skin was slowly healing. A breath mask provided her with oxygen. Her body would occasionally begin thrashing, banging against the sides of the glass tank and testing the strength of the wires. Outside, Aizen and Ichimaru watched.

"Should we restrain her?" Ichimaru asked, "It'd be a shame for her to break it after we put so much work into it."

"No," Aizen said, "We can't do that. She needs to remain unconcious this whole time. We can't afford to wake her up accidentally."

"Oh?" Ichimaru said questioningly.

"She's dreaming right now. Her dreams will haunt her continuously until she comes to the conclusion that the only way for her to get stronger is to follow me," Aizen said, "When she awakens, she'll be so convinced of her weakness that she will beg for my offer of power, no matter what the cost. It's only a matter of time."

* * *

Thank you for reading! Thank you to SunsetRainbow, Lena Sauran, shortchannel, Merciless Ruby, MicheleKuchiki, Fourpeg, Siroi Lily, Ryo Muang, Assault Godzilla, and Momo21 for reviewing! I know this chapter might have been a bit confusing for you (and it was quite confusing to Momo too). Basically, Aizen is showing her a bunch of warped things while she heals to convince her that she is weak so that she will accept his offers of power. But will it work? Please review!


	19. Chapter 18

Darkness

_Chapter 18_

Nelani paced her room anxiously, unsure of what to do. Was she going crazy? Was the stress from her Vice-captain's execution drive her mad and delusional? Or was it true? Was Tobiume really communicating with her? It didn't seem possible; after all, a Shinigami and their zanpakuto were partners, and no one else was supposed to be able to hear them. Besides, didn't Zanpakuto spirits ordinarily die with their owners?

She walked over to the small table that Tobiume rested on. She picked it up and examined it. She wasn't sure what to do. Should she tell someone about this? Would they help her figure out what was going on? Or would telling others only lead them to the conclusion that she had gone mad with grief and should be removed from her post?

"_Save Momo…"_ Nelani heard in her head, _"Save Momo…"_

"How?!" Nelani yelled at the sword, tears running down her cheeks, "How do I save her? What can I do? Nothing! I can't do anything right, I don't even know if this is real! I don't want to believe that Vice-captain Hinamori is dead, but it's true! This can't be real, I'm just delusional! Yes, that's it, this is all in my head! I don't want to believe she's gone and I'm inventing these things in my head to convince myself otherwise!" Nelani began sobbing and sat on the small couch in her room. She hugged a pillow close to her, sobbing into it while staring at Tobiume.

"You're the most important thing that Vice-captain Hinamori left behind. Why must you torment me like this? At this rate my entire life will be over! I can't go on like this!" Nelani wailed, "Why must you taunt me like that? Vice-captain Hinamori is dead! Why do you have to taunt me with false hopes?" She cried and sobbed a bit.

"Look at me…I'm a total mess. I've been talking to myself and I keep thinking that Tobiume is talking back…I _am_ going crazy…" Nelani whispered.

She didn't know what to do. She knew that she would go mad if she kept thinking about Hinamori. She tried not thinking about her, but how could she forget the person who influenced her life so much? She felt like she was betraying her Vice-captain by not thinking of her. When she thought about her though, she could think of nothing else. Everything was all about her. She couldn't stop obsessing over it, wondering whether she should follow this lead or if she should just resign herself to the fact that Hinamori was dead. She wanted so badly to believe that she was alive, but all evidence pointed to the contrary, and she couldn't go on like this.

She stood up. She knew what she should do, but she had been dreading it. She couldn't manage to muster the courage within herself, but she had to bear it now. She would have to tell the person she should have contacted as soon as she started hearing the voice of Tobiume.

---

Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya wearily filled out paperwork. It was the only thing he could do to keep Momo off of his mind. Matsumoto sat on the couch, also doing paperwork, a rarity for her. She wanted to help her captain as much as she could while he mourned in his own way. She knew that though he didn't show it, he was in much anguish over the death of the girl he viewed as his best friend, perhaps more than that. Momo's death had hit all of her friends hard, and they often thought of her. They all felt guilty for not being able to stop the execution, and they still wondered if Momo really was guilty or not.

There was a knock on the door. Toushiro and Matsumoto looked up.

"Matsumoto, get the door," Toushiro said dully. Matsumoto stood up and walked to the door. She slid it open to reveal Nelani standing there.

"Nelani? What are you doing here?" Matsumoto asked in concern.

"Please…I need to talk to you, Captain Hitsugaya," Nelani said. She was a bit shaky and her eyes were wide, but she seemed very determined.

"I'm not sure this is the best time Nelani. Come with me, I'll take you outside and you can tell me whatever you have to say," Matsumoto said gently. Nelani shook her head.

"No, I have to tell you something now! I should have told you before, but I was confused! Please listen to me," Nelani begged. Toushiro looked at her for a moment before sighing.

"Fine, you may speak," he said.

"Sir, I believe she is still alive!" Nelani said, "I know it's crazy, but I think she is still out there!"

"What are you saying?" Toushiro said, giving her a hard look. Matsumoto held her breath; Nelani had breached a very sensitive subject, and she knew that Toushiro was angry that she had brought it up.

"Sir, I know it sounds crazy, but it's true! I've been hearing Tobiume in my head! She says that Vice-captain Hinamori is alive and that she's in trouble!" Nelani said. Matsumoto winced inwardly; this conversation was going in the wrong direction.

"Do not mock me," Toushiro said coldly, "When you make such outrageous claims, you are mocking both me and the memory of her. Do you understand the seriousness of what you are saying?" There was an angry note in his voice, and Nelani began to get nervous as she tried to explain herself.

"N-n-no…I- I- I- I- I never m-meant it like that sir! I…I j-just… Please sir, listen to me! She's alive! I just know it! She's alive and in danger! Please believe me!" Nelani cried.

"Matsumoto, please remove her," Toushiro said coldly. Matsumoto put a hand on her shoulder and attempted to guide her out but Nelani ran forward to Toushiro's desk.

"How can you call yourself her friend when you give up hope on her so easily?" she yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks, "She's alive and in danger, but you're too stubborn to realize it and just want to spend your time wallowing in your deppression!"

"How can you call yourself her subordinate when you dishonor her with your foolish delusions?" Toushiro said angrily standing up, "I've known her for over a century. If there were any reason for me to believe she is alive, I would seek her out immediately. As it is though, there is no reason to believe that, just the delusional voices in your head. I can't go through all of this. Now get out of my office!"

"Now wait a minute! I am not delusional, I really am hearing Tobiume's voice! It's real, I just-" she was cut off when Matsumoto placed a hand on her head. Moments later her eyes started to droop. She realized that Matsumoto had used a Kido spell to put her to sleep. She began to fall forward, and was caught by Matsumoto as she fell asleep.

---

Nelani awoke in a grassy meadow with rolling hills. She recognized this as her inner world.

"So you're finally awake?" a small voice said into her ear. Nelani looked over and saw a tiny field mouse sitting on her shoulder.

"Kanashii Seijaku?" she said, recognizing her zanpakuto's spirit, "Why am I here? What's going on?"

"Look over there and see for yourself," Kanashii Seijaku said. Nelani stood up, with Kanashii Seijaku clinging to her shoulder. She saw that the rolling hills and meadows ended nearby, giving way to a forest of trees with bright pink fruits.

"What…what is that?" Nelani asked.

"This is my home," a voice said. Nelani looked around.

"Who said that?" she asked.

"Me!" a figure dropped out of the tree branches and ran up to her. She looked identical to Momo but wore a powder blue yukata and had loose, messy hair.

"Are you Tobiume?" Nelani asked. Tobiume nodded.

"Yes, I am," Tobiume said, "Are you ready to save Momo?" Nelani nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I am. I will do anything for her."

"Good, because you will need all your strength if we are to successfully save her."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Sorry to leave you off there, but I felt this was the best place to stop. Thank you to Ryo Muang, Sunset Rainbow, Merciless Ruby, Assault Godzilla, argella1300, Siroi Lily, Momo21, and Disconnect1 for reviewing! I know things were a bit jumbled up at the beginning, but that is to show how confused Nelani is. Please review!


	20. Chapter 19

Darkness

_Chapter 19_

"What do I have to do?" Nelani asked urgently, grabbing Tobiume's Yukata, "What do I have to do to save Vice-captain Hinamori?!"

"Calm yourself, you must think clearly if we are to be successful," Tobiume replied.

"But what do I do? Where is she? She's alive, right? Please, tell me!" Nelani begged.

"Please try to calm yourself. Momo is indeed alive, and she is in great peril. She needs you now more than ever."

"But what do I have to do?" Nelani repeated urgently, "Where is she? What's happened to her? What do I need to do to save her?!"

"I don't know exactly where she is, but I sense that it is an area of great importance, a place that held deep significance to her and, if my intuition serves me, to you as well."

"What do you mean? How do you know that?" Nelani asked, "Please explain, I don't understand!"

"I can't explain it. We zanpakuto are able to see things invisible to others. We can see the lines that connect people together. That's why I chose to reveal myself to you, because I sensed that wherever she was, it was a place connected to both you and her. Unfortunately, I was unable to determine where that is, and I need your help to find it. I sense that Momo is in a place where her path intersects with yours. Can you think of such a place? Can you think of a place that holds significance for both you and her?"

"I…I still don't understand! How can you know exactly where she is? What does my past with her have to do with it?" Nelani asked.

"Like I said, I can't really explain, but if you really want to know, I'd put it like this," Tobiume said, "Imagine that our lives were a boulder with cracks in it. Those cracks represent a persons ties to the things and events around them. But if there is another rock with cracks right next to it, sometimes those ties will be shared. Does that make sense?"

"Um…not at all," Nelani said, her head spinning in confusion.

"Okay, try this. Pretend we're all a bunch of spiderwebs and that the threads of spider silk are all attached to various anchor points. The place that I sense Momo is located shares an anchor point with your spiderweb. Does that make sense?" Tobiume said.

"Um…okay, I think I get it. So this place that she is located is foundational to both of our lives?" Nelani asked.

"That is correct. Think of a place where something important happened, something concerning both of you," Tobiume suggested. Nelani's eyes lit up.

"I know! I know what that place is! It happened a long time ago while I was still at the Shinigami academy…"

_Nelani fumbled with her books as she ran to her classroom. She was late, as often happened to her. She didn't sleep well, so when she did finally manage to sleep she always overslept. Her professors would likely get very angry at her, and she was beginning to feel that maybe she deserved it. She was never any good at anything she did._

_She tried as hard as she could in class, but she always messed it up. She doubted that she would even end up becoming a Shinigami, as she was a failure at everything she did. She couldn't do hand to hand combat, she was a failure at swordsmanship, and even Kido, her best subject, was subpar. Even the non-combat things she learned, such as the history of Soul Society and performing Konso, she ended up failing miserably at._

_When she had first entered the Shinigami academy, she was really excited about it. From the perspective of a person in Rukongai, the life of a Shinigami seemed amazing and fun, and Nelani was ecstatic when she learned that she had enough reiatsu to become a Shinigami. She fantasized about being a hero who slayed hollows and lived in Seireitei. To her, being a Shinigami seemed a dream come true. Soon however, she began to feel otherwise._

_Nelani had always been a shy person, but after being put into a place with high expectations, people she didn't know, and a lifestyle she was entirely unfamiliar with, she became much shyer and much more withdrawn. She began her first day full of optimism and excitement, and ended her first day depressed and lonely. She couldn't seem to make any friends, and she always messed up in class. Whenever a teacher called on her, she would hastily mumble a response, quickly sitting back down afterwards._

_Now in her fourth year at the academy, she still wasn't able to perform adequately in class, and she still hadn't made any friends. Her short stature made people not take her seriously, and her nervous nature caused people to avoid her. She was considering dropping out and going back to Rukongai. She was beginning to feel like she'd never amount to anything._

_As she ran through the halls, attracting the stares of other students, she suddenly tripped, dropping her books and falling, her face hitting the floor hard. Everyone in the halls laughed, and Nelani shakily stood up and collected her things. She covered her face to hide both the blood coming from a scrape on her face and the tears coming from her eyes. She hastily continued running towards her class, leaving the cruel laughter behind her. She felt so humiliated and ashamed of herself. She always messed up like this._

_When Nelani finally reached her classroom, she took a deep breath, preparing for the professor's angry reaction, and walked in. As all eyes in the room turned to her, she was surprised to see that it was not the professor who was standing at the front, but two Shinigami. She slapped herself in the forehead. She had completely forgotten that today was the day that they would be led in practice exercises against real hollows. The Shinigami at the front looked at her. One was a boy with blonde hair, and the other was a girl with dark brown hair held up in a bun._

_Nelani hastily hurried to her seat, trying to avoid the stares coming her way. She hoped she didn't miss anything. She knew that these two Shinigami had come to guide them while they went on the training exercise._

"_Well, back to what we were saying…" the blond said, resuming what he was saying. Nelani tapped the person next to her._

"_Who are they?" she whispered._

"_Fourth Seat Momo Hinamori and Sixth Seat Izuru Kira of the Fifth Division of the Gotei Thirteen," the girl next to her whispered back._

"_Fourth Seat? You mean she's the fourth strongest member of her division? Stronger than that man next to her?" Nelani asked in surprise._

"_Yes, now stop talking before we get in trouble!" the girl hissed at her. Nelani stopped talking but gazed at the girl named Momo Hinamori. She was short and rather small compared to the man next to her, but according to her rank, she was even stronger than him. She didn't really look like much; she seemed to be a passive person who Nelani could barely imagine holding the sword at her side, but she was clearly much more powerful than she looked._

_Nelani continued to listen to them as they explained what they would be doing. They would be going to an underground cavern nearby that contained several small hollows. The idea of facing real hollows was somewhat frightening to Nelani, but she found herself oddly excited. When the short lecture on what they would be doing was over, the class followed Hinamori and Kira out of the room._

_They were led out of the academy building and into Rukongai. They walked for what seemed like hours, out of the towns and into the countryside. Finally, they stopped at the side of a rocky outcropping, at the side of which was the entrance to some sort of cave. She could sense the frightening feel of hollows inside. They weren't strong, but she imagined that they would still be a challenge to the academy students. She was glad that Hinamori and Kira would be there to help them if things ended up badly._

"_Don't worry everyone, if something goes wrong, we'll be there to help," Hinamori said, "Now lets get moving!" They went into the cave, and almost immediately, the hollows came._

_They were small, and not of much significance. Nelani drew the training sword given to the academy students and faced off against a hollow that looked like a large beetle. It was the size of a dog, and looked rather menacing, but it was slow, and didn't seem like much of a threat. She slashed at it, cutting it at the shoulder. Another cut took off several of its scuttling legs. She brought her sword down one more time to split its mask in half. The hollow dissolved before her eyes. She allowed herself a small smile. That was much easier than she had expected. Elsewhere, other students were also slaying the small hollows with relative ease._

_Suddenly however, there was a loud shriek. Everyone's faces turned to see a large hollow at least twenty feet high. For arms, it had long blades, and atop its head were an intimidating set of curved horns. Another appeared beside it, this one apparently made of fire, its body glowing and bits of flame coming from between cracks in its rocky skin. One more hollow, this one shaped like a long snake with wings. There was silence for a minute as the three large hollows stared them down. Then, all of the students began to scream and run._

"_Everybody get away!" Kira yelled, "Get away, we'll handle this!" Both he and Hinamori drew their swords, preparing to fight the hollows. Nelani began to run with the others, but she tripped and fell to the ground. When she looked up, the hollow with blades for arms was above her. It raised one of its arms and brought it down. Nelani closed her eyes tightly, knowing that this was the end, that she would die right here. Suddenly, there was the noise of metal hitting metal._

_Nelani opened her eyes to see Hinamori standing above her, her blade holding back the deadly arm of the hollow. She turned to Kira._

"_Izuru, get the students away, I'll handle this," she called._

"_N-no way! You need my help for this!" He said, advancing. Momo struggled to keep her blade steady as it was locked with the hollow's arm._

"_Forget about it! Just get the students to safety!" she yelled._

"_But Momo-"_

"_Izuru! This is an order from a superior officer! Get the students to safety! That is our first priority!" she yelled at him. Izuru hesitated before nodding._

"_Very well, but be careful!" he said, running after the other students to ensure their safety._

_Momo forced the blade of ther hollow down and leapt up, slashing it across the shoulder. It let out a screech, and began staggering around, causing the earth to tremble. The hollow that looked as if it were made of fire opened its mouth and released a blast of fire._

_Hinamori grabbed Nelani and leapt out of the way of the blast. Nelani was somewhat stunned from what had happened, but marveled at Hinamori's strength and bravery. The snake-like hollow brought its tail up to strike, but just as it did so, Hinamori slashed at it, taking the tip of the tail off. She smirked for a moment, but then there was another blast from the fire hollow. Hinamori held her zanpakuto up._

"_Snap, Tobiume!" she said, releasing her zanpakuto. Nelani marveled at it. She had never seen a released zanpakuto in action before. Hinamori swung her blade, and a bright pink energy blast came from the tip. It hit the hollow with blades for arms, exploding and blasting the hollow out of existence. Next came the snake hollow, which lunged at her. Hinamori released a blast of energy at it, blasting its mask open and dissolving it. Finally, there was only the fire hollow. It roared and began charging a blast of fire. Hinamori likewise began charging an energy burst._

_Both Hinamori and the hollow launched their attacks. The fireball and the energy ball hit eachother in midair, causing a massive explosion. The cave shook, and large pieces of rock began falling from the ceiling. The hollow was crushed under debris, and more began falling on Nelani and Hinamori. They ran through the debris as it fell, avoiding the falling stones. Finally, they were out of harms way near the entrance of the cavern._

"_Are you okay?" Hinamori asked._

"_Y-yes," Nelani said shakily, "Um…thanks for saving me." Hinamori smiled._

"_No problem, I'm glad that I got there in time, you were nearly killed by that thing," Hinamori said. Nelani looked down._

"_Sorry. I didn't mean to be so weak," she said guiltily._

"_No, no, that's not what I meant. I just meant that it was a close situation. You don't seem weak to me, just underconfident with yourself," Hinamori said._

"_Thanks, but I really am weak. I'm never any good at what I do, and others always surpass me," Nelani said gloomily._

"_You seem strong to me, you just don't have the proper confidence. I'll let you in on something: I often have the same feeling of inadequacy that you have. My best friend joined the academy five years after I did. After five years of hard work, he not only joined, but turned out to be a genius and graduated in one year. I'll admit, I felt a bit jealous, but I still managed to keep a positive outlook on things. But then he got promoted to Vice-captain of the Tenth Division. I really felt left out, as I've been working hard in hopes to become Vice-captain of the Fifth Division, and he did it so easily. Then of course I felt guilty for being jealous of my friend, and I overall just felt down," Hinamori said._

"_But you're really amazing and strong, why should you feel bad just because your friend got a little farther than you?" Nelani asked._

"_The same reason that you can't seem to find confidence in yourself," Hinamori said, "I felt needless insecurity and wasn't proud enough of my own accomplishments."_

"_But you're different. You're a brilliant Shinigami, and I'm just a dumb academy student. I don't have any qualities that set me apart," Nelani protested._

"_Sure you do, you just don't recognize them. If you look at yourself, I think you'll find that you're much more skilled than you give yourself credit for," Hinamori said._

"_But…but how do you manage to keep such an optimistic spirit?" Nelani asked._

"_By setting a goal for yourself. What do you want to do? Why do you want to get stronger? What do you want to do with your power, what purpose do you live for?" Hinamori said, "Ask yourself these questions, and you'll soon find a purpose to go on." They were quiet for a moment._

"_Um, Miss Hinamori?" Nelani asked uncertainly, "If it's not too much to ask, what is your purpose to go on?"_

"_I want to serve my captain. That is my desire, to serve Captain Aizen my entire life, to please him and make him proud. That is my reason for going on," Hinamori explained, "Can you think of anything like that?"_

_Nelani smiled. She suddenly knew exactly what her purpose was._

"_Yes, I know exactly what I want to do," Nelani said, "I want to serve you the same way you serve Captain Aizen."_

"And that's how it happened," Nelani explained, "That was the beginning of our relationship, and I just know that's the place that you sense."

"Oh yes, I remember that," Tobiume said, "It's been a long time."

"Wait, how do you know about that?" Nelani asked in confusion.

"I was there, remember?" Tobiume laughed.

"Oh, yeah I forgot about that," Nelani said with a blush, "But I'm sure that's the place you were talking about. That cave has to be where she is! It must be!" Tobiume smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Well then let's go. I don't know what we'll encounter there, but with luck, we will save Momo before it is too late. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Nelani said, "I'm ready to save Vice-captain Hinamori."

* * *

Thank you for reading! Thank you to SunsetRainbow, Instant Classic Superstar, argella1300, Merciless Ruby, Queen Arceus, Ryo Muang, Assault Godzilla, Siroi Lily, Snowy Peach Tsubasa, and Momo21 for reviewing! I'm really sorry it took me so long to update, but a lot of things came up that prevented me from working on it. I'll try to get the next chapter up a bit quicker. Please review!


	21. Chapter 20

Darkness

_Chapter 20_

Nelani walked slowly through an abandoned village. Buildings were boarded up and run down, apparently abandoned for years. The houses were falling apart and overgrown with weeds. The place was eerily silent; even the birds seemed to hold their voices in the creepy place. Nelani wore a hooded cloak to conceal her identity as a Shinigami. She had not been authorized to leave Seireitei, and she could get in big trouble if she were caught. Thus, she concealed her presence as she left Seireitei, and erased any traces of her leaving the place. Even now, she continued to hide her presence, lest she be discovered.

"Is this normal?" Nelani whispered as she walked through the dusty streets, "This is the third village we've been through like this. Did something happen?"

"It is not uncommon for small villages to be abandoned like this," said the voice of Kanashii Seijaku in her head, "A drought, bandits, predators, lack of jobs; anything could have caused people to abandon a village and migrate elsewhere."

"It's still odd," another voice said, this one belonging to Tobiume, "Why would so many villages be so completely abandoned? The houses don't even look like they were completely emptied before being left like this. Whoever lived here, they were either wiped out or left urgently enough that they did not have time to properly evacuate and empty their homes."

"But what could have happened?" Nelani asked, "When we last came through here the place seemed to be a normal village! I specifically remember stopping here on our way to the cave! There was nothing wrong with this place then!"

"That was decades ago," Kanashii Seijaku reminded her.

"Yeah but still…" Nelani said.

"It could be nothing of course. As Kanashii Seijaku said, there is certainly the possibility that it was merely a drought or a change in economic livelihood, but then again…" Tobiume trailed off.

"What?" Nelani asked.

"Well, since we know that the cave you visited was populated by hollows, it's certainly possible that their numbers increased enough to require the nearby villages to leave. Strange that Seireitei was unaware of it, but possible seeing as they had a huge area to manage and oversights are common with these sorts of things," Tobiume explained.

"Either way, stay on your guard. I sense that this could be dangerous," Kanashii Seijaku said.

They travelled through the village and past several fields. Soon, they were back at the cavern that Nelani had visited all those years before. She shivered a little, remembering the place where she had almost been killed by hollows. She drew Kanashii Seijaku, knowing that she may end up needing it.

"Are you ready?" Tobiume asked. Nelani nodded.

"Yes, I'm ready to save Vice-captain Hinamori," Nelani said, her eyes filled with determination.

"You understand the risk, right?" Tobiume asked, "I can't predict what will happen once we get in there, and it's possible that you could be injured or even killed. Are you prepared to take that chance?"

"Of course, anything to save Vice-captain Hinamori," Nelani said, her resolve to save Hinamori giving her greater bravery than she felt. She didn't feel brave of course. To her, there was no question about it; saving Hinamori was something she had to do, regardless of what the cost may be.

Nelani took a deep breath and advanced into the cave. It was dark, and it was difficult to see clearly. She walked further into the cave, taking each step carefully, afraid of what might happen next.

Suddenly, she felt a strange jolt. The cave seemed to turn upside down, and she hung by the ceiling, with her feet firmly stuck to it.

"Tobiume! What's happening?" Nelani cried. There was no answer. Nelani reached out, trying to feel for Tobiume , but found that she could not make contact with the zanpakuto spirit. Tobiume the sword was still at her side, but she could no longer hear the voice of Tobiume.

"Kanashii Seijaku, what's going on?" Nelani asked her own zanpakuto.

"I don't know! I can't contact Tobiume either! I don't know what this is, I think we're being trapped by some sort of spell!" her zanpakuto told her. Nelani hung upside down from the top of the cave ceiling, panick rising within her. What was going on? How would she get down? She couldn't seem to move at all; she was completely stuck.

"Suddenly, the ceiling that Nelani was hanging from began to liquify, and began pulling her in. She shrieked and tried to grab her legs to pull them out, but the ceiling sucked her in with great force. She struggled as hard as she could, but was unable to break free. She was soon completely sucked into the ceiling.

Nelani fell onto a hard stone floor. She shakily rose to her feet and looked around. What was going on? Wasn't she just stuck to the ceiling? How did she end up like this? She looked around. The floor was definitely that of the cave. It was cool, made of rock, and slightly damp, but she could not see any walls nor ceiling. It was as if she were on an endless stone floor.

"Kanashii Seijaku,do you know what's going on?" Nelani asked, her voice echoing around the place.

"No, I'm just as baffled as you are. Stay on your guard, I'm worried there might be trouble," Kanashii Seijaku said.

"Can you sense Tobiume?" Nelani asked.

"No, not at all. Something is blocking us from contacting her. I'm not sure what this is. It's either a trap, an illusion, or a spell of some sort, but I've never seen anything quite like it," Kanashii Seijaku answered.

There was stillness for a moment, the only movement being Nelani's hands shaking as she tightly held her zanpakuto in front of her. Then, there was a loud shriek, and a strange creature resembling a living shadow appeared out of nowhere and flew at Nelani. Quickly getting over her fear, Nelani held up her blade in fighting position.

"Squeak, Kanashii Seijaku!" she said, triggering her zanpakuto's shikai. Her blade now resembled two katanas facing away from eachother and connected at the base and below the tip, leaving gaps at the center and end. She swung her blade, catching the demonic creature in the middle and tearing it in half. For a moment she thought she was triumphant, but then the shadowy creature reformed itself, becoming whole again.

It wasn't a hollow; rather, it seemed to be a shadow made solid. Two red eyes peered at her from the face. It somewhat resembled a ghost or a ghoul, having no hind limbs and having no apparent mass. Nelani began charging energy at her zanpakuto's base, preparing for another attack. Before she could however, the thing flew at her, an arm swiping at her.

Nelani felt no physical impact from the blow, but felt a cold sensation wash over her body. She swung her zanpakuto, releasing the charged energy into a beam directed at the creature. The actual blast seemed to do no harm to it, but the bright blue light from the attack seemed to dissolve the creature into wisps of smoke.

Nelani stood shivering for a moment, trying to make sense of what was happening. She had been standing on the cave floor, and then everything turned upside down, with her stuck to it. Then the ceiling sucked her in, and then she fell into this place. Now there was a strange creature that had attacked her. What on earth was going on?

"_So I have another hossssst…" _a sinister hissing voice said. Nelani froze where she stood and looked around. There was nothing there. Feeling uneasy, Nelani looked around again, not seeing anything, but feeling a sense of dread overwhelming her. She focused energy to the tip of her zanpakuto, creating a glowpoint to illuminate the area. In the moment she activated the move, she could have sworn she saw black smoke fading away. She was now shaking in fright, not knowing what was going on.

"_That light is most unpleasant, I'll have to take care of it…"_ the frightening voice glowpoint at the end of Nelani's zanpakuto faded away into nothingness.

"_That'sssssss better," _the voice said, _"NowI can properly show myself."_ Nelani tried to reactivate her zanpakuto, but found that she couldn't. She opened her mouth to ask Kanashii Seijaku what was happening, but found she couldn't speak. She tried to run, but found her entire body frozen.

"_So you mussst be Nelani, I've seen you around before, but I never would have guessed that you'd end up here," _the voice said. Suddenly a black shape walked in front of her.

Nelani wanted to scream, but her voice did not leave her throat. The creature in front of her was hideous. It stood on four long, skinny legs and had piercing red eyes. Its body was thin but strong and predatory. Its mouth was full of needle-like teeth, and its body was darker than dark, as if its very existence was that of shadowy darkness.

"_Ssssso girl, what brings you here?"_ the creature asked slyly. Nelani could barely move and at all, but by a force she didn't recognize herself, she managed to speak.

"To save Vice-captain Hinamori," Nelani said.

"_My, how heroic. The pathetic weakling has a pathetic weakling fan girl to come rescue her. How nice…_"

Nelani was angered by these words.

"Vice-captain Hinamori isn't weak or pathetic," Nelani said, forcing the words out.

"_Is that so? She spent much time pining after a traitor and was so pathetic that she couldn't even recognize her own downfall. She is as pathetic as they come."_

"She's a strong person and a capable Vice-captain. She was used and hurt by Aizen. It wasn't her fault."

"_But if she had been smarter, she could have figured that out sooner, and she would not have spent so long in a miserable state. Her stupidity was what caused her fate to be sealed. It was from her own weakness that her execution came about. Now the girl as you know her is dead."_

"Vice-captain Hinamori was set up. Nothing she could have done would have stopped it. And you're wrong, she is alive. I can feel it; Vice-captain Hinamori is alive."

"_Alive? By what standards? She is nothing of what she was now. You've wasted your time coming her. Why bother going on?"_

"Because I care about her. Everything you say is a lie, none of it is true," Nelani said firmly, overcoming her fear to stand up to the creature.

"_That is a stubborn attitude. Are you saying you have no doubts whatsoever that she is a pure soul? That her intentions are all good and that she is the same person she always was?"_

Nelani hesitated for a moment, considering the creature's ominous words, but nodded.

"Yes, I believe in her completely. You're lying about her. She is the same as always and needs my help. I won't let a lying demon like you stand between me and Vice-captain Hinamori!" Nelani said firmly. The demon chuckled darkly.

"_So be it," _it said.

Suddenly the floor fell out from beneath Nelani and she fell into space. She landed moments later on the firm ground. She looked around, realizing that she was back in the cave where she had been in before all of those strange things had happened.

She clutched her head. What had happened? Was that a dream? An Illusion? A vision? What was it? It felt real, but something so surreal couldn't possibly be real, could it?

As Nelani pondered this, she didn't notice someone walking up behind her.

"It's good to see you again, Nelani," Hinamori said. Nelani's eyes widened, and she slowly turned around. Upon seeing Hinamori, her eyes filled with tears and she immediately embraced her Vice-captain.

"Vice-captain Hinamori! I knew it! I knew you were here! I knew it!" she cried, "I'm sorry I ever doubted that you were alive, I should have known that you'd never die and leave me! I should have known none of it was real." Hinamori hugged Nelani in return.

"Nelani, I'm glad that you seeked me out. You have been an excellent subordinate to me, as well as a good friend," Hinamori said. Nelani's was moved to tears by her praise.

"Oh Vice-captain Hinamori, thank you for your kind words! I only wish I could have prevented you from the pain you had to go through! From now on though, I promise to serve you with my life. Which reminds me, here is Tobiume!" Nelani reached for Tobiume, handing it to Hinamori.

"Thank you Nelani, I'm glad to have my zanpkuto back at my side again," Hinamori said.

"Vice-captain Hinamori, we must go quickly! There is a strange presence in this cave, and I fear what may happen if we linger too long," Nelani said, recalling the demonic creature from before.

"I cannot return to Seireitei," Hinamori said.

"I understand, you would not be allowed there, but I'm sure that if we went into hiding, eventually the issue will be resolved and your innocence will be proven! We need only wait out the remainder of the war, and your name will be cleared and we can go back to Seireitei!" Nelani said.

"That's not what I meant," Hinamori said, "I mean I cannot go back to that wretched place. You see, I've come to an understanding in my time here. The institutions of Seireitei are broken beyond repair, and its leaders are in no state to lead. They cannot be trusted; they betrayed me and were easily manipulated by Aizen. They are unfit for their jobs. Seireitei must be cleansed of the trash that have allowed recent events to occur."

"V-Vice-captain Hinamori, what are you saying?" Nelani asked, inexplicably frightened by the tone her Vice-captain was using.

"Nelani, you have been the perfect subordinate and a great Shinigami. I am very proud of the accomplishments you have made, and you are among the most pure-hearted Shinigami in existence," Hinamori said, "However, times are changing, and unfortunately you will not fit into these changes. As much as it pains me to say this, you are no longer necessary, and would only get in the way of my plans."

Nelani was staring in shock at her Vice-captain, confused as to what she was talking about. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in her legs and she fell to the floor. She looked down to see that her legs had been slashed, the tendons cut. What was going on? Had something attacked her from behind. Hastily pushing herself into a sitting position, she looked behind her looking for her assailant. She couldn't see anything, whatever attacked her must have hidden in the shadows. She looked up at Hinamori and froze, her eyes wide. Hinamori held her zanpakuto at her side, the blade dripping with blood. Nelani's mind seemed to stop functioning for a moment before finally taking in the sight.

"No…no, this can't be…this can't be!" she whispered, shaking in fear and horror, "Vice-captain Hinamori, what's happening? What's going on, why are you-" she stopped as Hinamori pointed her sword at Nelani's chest. Nelani stared up at Hinamori in terror.

"I'm sorry things could not have turned out differently, but you're too young, too naïve. Your continued existence would only hamper my goals. Unfortunately this is the only way," Hinamori said. Nelani was shaking in fear, unable to believe what was happening.

"No…no, please! Vice-captain Hinamori, it's me, your faithful subordinate! I beg of you Vice-captain Hinamori, please stop this! Why? What is happening? Please stop Vice-captain Hinamori!" Nelani cried, tears running down her cheeks and her body shaking uncontrollably.

"Goodbye, Nelani," Momo said, ignoring the girl's pleas. With a quick thrust, her blade pierced Nelani's heart. Nelani continued to stare up at the girl she had so long admired even as the blood flowed from the wound on her chest. Her vision began fading, and she felt numb. She collapsed onto her side. With one final look at Hinamori, Nelani closed her eyes and stopped breathing.


	22. Chapter 21

Darkness

_Chapter 21_

Hinamori looked at Nelani's body lying on the cave floor, blood pooling aroung it. Sheathing Tobiume, she bent down and flipped Nelani over so that she was facing upwards. Hinamori grasped Nelani's wrist, checking for a pulse. There was none. Moving to the fallen girl's face, Hinamori parted Nelani's eyelids. The eyes were blank and dull. Hinamori stood up, content that Nelani was dead.

"Oh dear, how cruel," a sly voice said. Hinamori turned to see Gin Ichimaru emerging from the shadows. "The poor little girl was just returning her hero's zanpakuto and she died for it. How tragic."

"There was no choice. This cave is vital to our plans. After she discovered it, she would have to either join us or perish, and there was no value in her joining us. Thus, the only viable option was to terminate her," Hinamori said shrewdly.

"That's cold of you," Ichimaru said with a wide grin, "Are you sure you don't feel just a tiny bit of regret?"

"Of course. She was a loyal subordinate and would have served me well," Hinamori said, "But for our purposes, she was useless. She would never follow along with our plans, and releasing her would jeopardize the location of this base. Killing her was the only thing to do."

"Do you feel sadness for her?" Ichimaru asked, "She was your subordinate; your friend. Do you not feel even the slightest bit of compassion for her?"

"Of course not," Hinamori said, Compassion has done nothing but cause me grief. It is a weak emotion, and is representative of the weakness that I have now abandoned. What has being compassionate done for me? It led me to betrayal and near-death several times. I will not fall into its traps again."

"So why are you serving Aizen again? Is it not out of compassion for your old captain?" Ichimaru asked.

"Don't be ludicrous," Hinamori scoffed, "I hold no such feelings for that man. He does not care for me and I do not care for him. Nevertheless, I do owe him some degree of gratitude. He ruined my former life and tore down the illusions I had of my so-called friends. With my old life and those worthless friends behind me, I am free to pursue my own goals without the impediments inherent to my old life."

"How very calculating," Ichimaru noted, "I suppose this means that you have indeed found your own goals then? Ones separate from Aizen's?"

"That is correct." Ichimaru continued to smile.

"So do those goals conflict with Aizen's, use Aizen, or coincide with Aizen's goals?" Ichimaru asked, "I'm sure you're not working with him just to help him out. What is your plan?"

"Well, if I told you it wouldn't be much of a plan, would it?" Hinamori said, a small smirk on her face.

"Ah, I see. So you intend to use Aizen's success to fuel your own then?" Ichimaru said. Hinamori looked surprised for a moment before nodding.

"Your perceptions are great. I do intend to use Aizen as a springboard for my own plan," Hinamori said.

"You are of course aware that Aizen has surely taken this into account and is likely making use of your plans to further his own ends, right?" Ichimaru said.

"Perhaps, but who said our plans were completely contrary to eachother?" Hinamori said, "I have an absolute dedication to reaching the goals that I could barely conceive of in my old life. If Aizen wishes to make use of those plans, so be it, but it will have no impact on my success."

Ichimaru nodded.

"I see. In that case, I really must be off. Be sure to train with that new body of yours; it will take time to master completely," Ichimaru said, opening a garganta. "And one more thing. It would appear that an individual is approaching from the east. You should intercept them before they discover this place." He then walked through the garganta, disappearing.

Hinamori scowled at his back. He was the same as all the others. They had all betrayed her, every single one of them. Aizen and Ichimaru most obviously, as well as the establishments of Seireitei who had tried to execute her, but also Hitsugaya and her former friends. They had abandoned her and were part of the reason she had been weak for so long. She had no one but herself now, and that was all she could depend upon.

When Hinamori first emerged from the regeneration tank, she was confused as to what she would do. They had all betrayed her, each and every one of them. Aizen, Kira, Hitsugaya, the leadership of Seireitei…they had all betrayed her. She had no one; she was completely on her own. When Aizen offered her the opportunity to serve him, she accepted, seeing no other options. As the time passed however, her rage grew. Rage at Aizen for betraying her, rage at Seireitei for executing her, rage at her friends for doing nothing to help her. That anger and hatred fueled her own plans, and she came to the realization that she could only trust herself and her own goals.

Hinamori turned, preparing to head out to intercept whoever it was who had come. It was likely someone searching for Nelani. Hinamori could not help but smirk. Nelani was just as she once was; weak, naïve, and overly trusting. She represented everything about Hinamori's old life that she now hated and despised. Though it was unfortunate to lose such a fine servant, Hinamori was glad that Nelani was dead. The last connection to her old life was now gone.

Hinamori was a different person now. Her body had been destroyed, and was replaced with a new, stronger body. Her anger and resentment made her strong. No longer was she weak and naïve. That part of her life was over. Now she would seek her own path, one that neither Aizen nor Soul Society could control.

* * *

Thanks for reading. As you can see, Hinamori really has completely changed (and you'll also notice I am now using a more impersonal 'Hinamori' rather than 'Momo'). Note the irony of how she was so angry that others had betrayed or abandoned her, and yet she ended up murdering Nelani, the only one who never doubted her for a moment. And yes, Nelani really is dead. Her murder was the ultimate act of betrayal on Hinamori's part. As for next chapter, who is this person who followed after Nelani? What will Hinamori do to them? What are these mysterious 'plans' that Hinamori has? Please review!


	23. Chapter 22

**Darkness**

_Chapter 22_

Soi Fon walked through the streets of the abandoned village. She had been instructed to search for Nelani, as she had been missing for several days. She really didn't want to chase after the apparently delusional girl, but in the end she was ordered to by Yamamoto to retrieve the girl. Thus, Soi Fon traced the tiny amounts of reiatsu left behind by Nelani. It was difficult to track, as Nelani had mostly hidden her presence, but as a captain, Soi Fon was able to detect it. She was very angry at being made to go off into Rukongai just to retrieve someone who to her was expendable. As far as Soi Fon was concerned, Nelani could no longer perform the duties of a Shinigami due to her emotional state, and should have been demoted. Unfortunately for her, the other captains felt that a third seat officer going missing was not something that could be overlooked.

The town was deserted, and Soi Fon was analyzing the buildings, searching for clues of Nelani. She disliked this place. It was too quiet and strange. The village had clearly been abandoned a long time ago, as the buildings were overgrown with weeds and falling into disrepair.

As Soi Fon walked through the streets, an explosion ripped through a nearby building. Soi Fon leapt back, entering a battle stance as she stared at the smoking ruins of the building. The explosion was not near enough to injure her, and apparently hadn't been a direct attack on her, but she was able to tell that it was intended as an announcement of an individuals present. Sure enough, moments later there was a soft laugh.

"So you ended up coming after all. I had a suspicion that it might be you who followed Nelani," the voice said. Soi Fon's eyes narrowed. That voice…it couldn't be. Soi Fon gazed into the billowing smoke of the destroyed house's ruins. A figure stood in the rubble, the face obscured by smoke. As the smoke cleared and the person's face was revealed, Soi Fon's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in anger.

"So you did survive," she growled.

"You suspected?" Hinamori said questioningly.

"I am the commander of the Special Forces, I must think of every possibility to a situation. This was no different," Soi Fon said. Hinamori raised an eyebrow.

"So I suppose Nelani told you that I was still alive?" Hinamori asked.

"Yes," Soi Fon said, "But that is irrelevant."

"Oh?" Hinamori asked with an uncharacteristic smirk, "And what makes you say that?"

"I don't know how you survived, but I will end you now!" Soi Fon said. There was a whooshing sound, and Soi Fon appeared right behind Hinamori, her zanpakuto thrust forward to deliver a swift and deadly stab. The next thing Soi Fon knew, her blade had been deflected. Hinamori, in the blink of an eye, had drawn her own sword and blocked Soi Fon's blow. Their blades were locked as they stared ferociously at eachother.

"You are much faster than you were before," Soi Fon said, "I suppose this is Aizen's doing?" A wide, maniacal grin crossed Hinamori's face.

"It could never have happened without you," Hinamori said, "You helped me to become this as much as Aizen."

Soi Fon struck at Hinamori again, and again her blade was blocked. Their blades were pressed against eachother as each fought to gain the upper hand.

"He has improved your strength too I see," Soi Fon noted. Suddenly she leapt back, shedding her captains cloak and revealing the Special Forces uniform underneath. She leapt at Hinamori and delivered a powerful kick to the chest. Hinamori flew backwards, but managed to remain standing, keeping her composure. She held her zanpakuto out in front of her, prepared to battle. Soi Fon shunpoed in front of her, slashing with her zanpakuto. Hinamori ducked the slash, bringing her sword upwards again to block a chop from the Second Division Captain's zanpakuto. Soi Fon stabbed at her, but Hinamori side-stepped the attack, bringing her zanpakuto down on Soi Fon, who barely was able to block it. Soi Fon gave a sweeping kick at Hinamori's legs, knocking her off her feet. Hinamori rolled on the ground to avoid another stab, and quickly leapt back to her feet to battle.

This was not just a battle between enemies. Soi Fon and Hinamori hated eachother on the personal level. Their hatred for eachother fueled their desire to fight, and they fought viciously.

"Hado 33, Red Flame Cannon!" Hinamori said a blast of energy formed in Hinamori hand and was launched at Soi Fon. Soi Fon dodged the blast, but was knocked to the side by the force of it as it hit a nearby house.

"Hado 63, Roaring Thunder Cannon!" Hinamori shouted, putting her palms forward. A blast of intense yellow light was blasted from her palms, creating a massive explosion. Soi Fon leapt aside, deciding that it was time to start taking this seriously. She raised her zanpakuto.

"Sting all enemies, Suzumebachi!" she said. Her zanpakuto transformed into a long pointed stinger attatched to her middle finger. Hinamori gritted her teeth, knowing the power of Soi Fon's zanpakuto. She knew she couldn't beat her like this. Thinking quickly, she hastily began muttering a Kido incantation, and a ball of silvery energy surrounded by static formed in her palm. Soi Fon shunpoed in front of Hinamori, bringing the point of the stinger to stab her. Hinamori thrust the ball of energy forward at the exact same moment.

For a second, it seemed as if nothing had happened. Then, Suzumebachi was ripped from Soi Fon's hand and sucked into the sphere, which had now expanded to creat a bubble of energy trapping the zanpakuto. Hinamori began to laugh, but suddenly Tobiume was jerked from her hand and pulled into the sphere of silvery light as well.

"No!" Hinamori shouted, trying to grab the zanpakuto. When her hand contacted the sphere however, a massive jolt of energy hit her, forcing her back.

"It would appear that your mastery of that Kido spell was incomplete," Soi Fon noted as Hinamori stared in disbelief at the sphere which now trapped both their zanpakutos, "Now we are both unarmed. I am a master of hand-to-hand combat, but what about you? What will you do now?"

Hinamori glared at her.

"Do you think I'm still as weak as you remember? I am far greater than I was before. That execution destroyed my body, so I received a new, stronger body. Strong enough to beat you."

Hinamori released her reiatsu. It formed around her, creating an aura that looked like pink flames. She extended her arm, and something began emerging from inside of her wrist. The skin parted to reveal a black band. The pink flames of Hinamori's reiatsu soon turned black, and the air thickened with her power. Hinamori's eyes turned the orange-brown shade of copper as evil power flowed through her.

"I see. So you've sold your soul to Aizen for power, is that it?" Soi Fon said, preparing herself for battle. Hinamori glared at Soi Fon.

"You have no idea."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Merciless Ruby, Lena Sauran, Assault Godzilla, Instant Classic Superstar, Ryo Muang, Sunset Rainbow, Snowy Peach Tsubasa, and argella1300 for reviewing! Please review!


	24. Chapter 23

Darkness

_Chapter 23_

Hinamori stood still, her body bathed in a dark aura that surrounded her. She took a deep breath, feeling the power that was flowing through her. It felt…amazing.

Hinamori let out a harsh laugh, causing Soi Fon, already in a battle stance, to back away a few inches. Hinamori loved the feeling of all that power coursing through her veins. It was spectacular! So much power, all of it hers to control! This was the first time she had fully activated this power, and she was amazed by the feeling.

"Yes…" she whispered, "Yes, this is perfect! Soi Fon, you may have ruined me and destroyed me, but that only made me stronger in the end, and now you will be killed by the same power you helped come to fruition!" Soi Fon glared at her.

"You think that you can defeat me like that? You have become arrogant! The powers I sense from you may be able to _barely_ match my own, but you have no experience with them!" Soi Fon said, "I have had over a century to build up my power and hone my strength, whereas you are using some artifact to artificially give you power!"

"This is my own power, I am just using a more efficient means to access it," Hinamori said, "My hatred for you and those like you have unlocked power that would have been unreachable to me before."

"Don't fool yourself. You are forcing your body to its limits with that technique. I doubt you would maintain that arrogant attitude once overuse of that power of yours causes your body to decay," Soi Fon said, "But don't worry; I will kill you long before that can happen."

Hinamori raised her finger. Soi Fon leapt out of the way, and just moments later a blast of lighting came from her finger, hitting right where Soi Fon had been standing moments before. Soi Fon skidded to a stop on a nearby rooftop, warily watching Hinamori. Hinamori held out her hand, a dark sphere forming in her palm. Moments later, the sphere launched at Soi Fon, creating an explosion where it hit.

"So you are now able to use Kido without title or incantation? Very impressive, but it will not be enough," Soi Fon said. An instant later, she had shunpoed behind Hinamori and delivered a swift kick to her side, sending her flying into a nearby building with a huge crash and throwing up dust.

"Your capabilities are quite low, despite that power boost you used just now," Soi Fon commented. A blast of energy came from the dust, crashing into another house and nearly hitting Soi Fon.

"You have no idea what I am capable of," Hinamori snarled as she walked out of the dust. She raised a hand, and a crescent shaped blast of energy came from it. Soi Fon leapt aside, just as the blast hit the side of a house, completely incinerating it. She didn't have even a moment of rest when Hinamori blasted her with white lighting again, this time grazing her at the shoulder and burning off a length of her hair. Hastily swatting out the smoldering ends of hair, Soi Fon shunpoed righ in front of Hinamori and, careful to keep her body low to avoid any additional attacks, punched Hinamori in the stomach and chest with a series of lightning fast strikes.

Hinamori staggered back, unable to keep up with Soi Fon's intense barrage of strikes. Soi Fon leapt into the air, and prepared to bring her foot down for a powerful kicking strike. Hinamori raised a hand, and a barrief formed above her. Soi Fon's kick hit the barrier, cracking it but not breaking through. Thrown off balance by the sudden change, Soi Fon haphazardly attempted to get away from hinamori's zone of attack. Hinamori quickly thrust her palm forwards however, and hit Soi Fon in the chest with a powerful blast of energy and throwing her into the side of a house, creating a gaping hole in the side.

Hinamori strode forward, confident that she had dealt Soi Fon a deciding blow. To her surprise however, Soi Fon jumped from the wreckage and punched Hinamori in the face. Hinamori staggered back, and in that moment her guard was down, Soi Fon hit her again in the gut and kicked her in the side of the head. Hinamori was thrown to the ground by the force of the blows. She turned, her eyes wild with anger, and released a blast of purplish black flames from her palm. Soi Fon shunpoed aside, and the flames hit the wall behind her, the intensity of the heat melting the stone.

"That was indeed a powerful move," Soi Fon commented as Hinamori shakily got to her feet, "But you would need more than just power to beat me. Even if you were able to surpass me in power, you would never be able to defeat me. I have far more experience and battle knowledge than you could ever hope to match. Now let me show you the extent of our differences in power _and_ experience."

Soi Fon began to glow with power. Concentrated energy covered her body. Hinamori was shocked by the power of it.

"What…what is that?" she said.

"It's called Shunko, and it will be the agent of your demise," Soi Fon said. Hinamori began to enter a battle stance, but before she could, Soi Fon struck.

It was over in an instant. Hinamori hadn't even realized that she had been hit. All that she knew was that she now lay on the ground as Soi Fon triumphantly stood over her.

"You see? You had no chance of taking on a captain. This entire fight has been an exercise of futility. It would appear that the spell you cast earlier has worn off."

Hinamori looked above her, and saw that the energy sphere that contained both her and Soi Fon's zanpakutos was beginning to wane in strength. Moments later, it burst, and both their zanpakutos fell to the ground. Hinamori hastily grabbed Tobiume and stood shakily to her feet. She saw that the band around her wrist was gone, forced back from the force of Soi Fon's Shunko.

"You expect to fight me like that?" Soi Fon said, placing her still-released zanpakuto on her hand, "You are no match. You will die right here." Soi Fon flew at Hinamori. Hinamori tried to guard, but it was futile. Soi Fon delivered two precise strikes to Hinamori, causing a large butterfly pattern to emerge on Hinamori's chest.

Hinamori slowly sunk to her knees, in shock from the blow. She knew Soi Fon's power; she knew she was going to die.

"It seems you were able to avoid instant death. You really have gotten stronger. Most individuals will succumb to my venom immediately. Though your death is only seconds away, I must compliment you. I wonder if it is because that life you have now is not completely your own. It doesn't matter of course. You will die within a minute."

Hinamori was staring forward, her eyes wide and unfocused. This couldn't be happening… she couldn't die yet! Not until she had fulfilled her plans! She struggled to stand, but Soi Fon's strike had already taken effect, and her body was growing numb from the attack. She couldn't even lift her sword. It was useless to resist as death approached…

Suddenly Hinamori's eyes flared in rage. This wasn't going to happen! She wouldn't let it happen! She refused to die before she had exacted her revenge! With a sudden surge of power, Hinamori leapt to her feet, her sword brought up in a final slash.

Soi Fon collapsed to her knees, grabbing the stump of the hand that had been cut off by Hinamori's swing. Her chest was red with blood from the slash, and Hinamori stood triumphantly abover her, but Tobiume and Suzumebachi (which had returned to normal form) in her hands. The mark on her chest had dissappeared with Soi Fon's shikai, and Hinamori grinned as she crossed the blades at Soi Fon's throat.

"Well, well, well… it seems the tables have turned. You were a strong adversary, but in the end, you have fallen. Don't worry though, you will have company in death. Soon, others will share your fate and die by my hands. Goodbye Soi Fon, I can honestly say I won't miss you," Hinamori said as she moved the blades apart, beheading Soi Fon.

* * *

Thanks for reading! This will probably be the last chapter for a while, though I might end up doing a chapter or two over winter break. Please review!


	25. Chapter 24

**Darkness**

_Chapter 24_

"_Attention! All Shinigami report to stations! This is an emergency situation! All divisions are to be on high alert! All divisions stay on high alert! Await orders! All Captains and Vice-captains report to the First Division Meeting Grounds immediately! This is an emergency situation…" _The sirens throughout Seireitei blared. All around, Shinigami were hurrying to their posts, not knowing what exactly was going on. It was a confusing and chaotic situation.

Toushiro Hitsugaya shunpoed towards the meeting grounds, determined to arrive as soon as possible.

"Captain, what's going on?" Matsumoto asked, shunpoing behind him.

"I don't know, but it must be something big to warrant this kind of alert," he said in a tone difficult to discern.

"Captain, what-"

"I said I don't know anything about it," Hitsugaya said shortly.

Matsumoto remained silent, knowing that he was in no mood to continue talking. Ever since Hinamori's death, Hitsugaya was not quite the same. He was even more cold and dedicated to work than before, and rarely interacted with others. Given his personality, he refused to express his inner turmoil, and channeled all of his frustration and emotion into work. Matsumoto was concerned. She was glad that he was still able to function effectively as a captain, but what he was doing was not healthy. He was quite young, and he deserved time to grieve for his friend, but due to his position and his personality, he bottled up all of his emotions and did nothing but work.

They passed numerous Shinigami rushing to their appointed stations. There was much confusion, as none of them knew exactly what was happening. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto shunpoed through the chaotic streets and soon arrived at the First Division meeting grounds. By the time they entered, the other captains were already present. Each Vice-captain stood behind their Captain, with Omaeda, Kira, Hisagi, and Ukitake standing alone.

"Good, it seems that we are all here," Yamamoto grimly said, speaking from his chair at the center of the meeting hall.

"What of Captain Soi Fon?" Komamura asked, his canine face difficult to read but clearly agitated by the alert.

"That is what this meeting is about," Yamamoto said, "You may recall our meeting earlier this week?"

"Soi Fon has not yet returned? Is she still searching for the girl?" Byakuya asked.

"Unfortunately, field agents sent to aid in the search have discovered the body of third-seat Nelani Dinn, apparently murdered," Yamamoto said gravely. The room immediately burst into uproar at the pronouncement.

"What? How did this happen?" Hitsugaya shouted.

"What? Who did this? Where was she found?" Hisagi asked urgently.

"Nelani is…dead?" Matsumoto gasped, her eyes wide with shock.

"Why wasn't I notified? As Vice-captain of Second Division, I should have had the right to know what has happened first!" Omaeda protested.

"Who did this? Investigative measures must be taken!" Ukitake said.

"Who could have killed a third-seat? She should have been able to handle anything from that area!" Nanao Ise said from behind Kyouraku.

"Surely there must be clues as to the culprit!" Iba said, standing behind the massive form of Komomura, "You must have some idea as to who did this!"

"What of Soi Fon?" asked Kyouraku, "Do you have any information on her whereabouts?"

Yamamoto banged his cane on the ground.

"Enough! If we are to get to the bottom of this immediately, we must remain calm and orderly!" he said firmly, "Captain Unohana, share your findings in regard to the body."

Captain Unohana stepped forward, Isane Kotetsu close behind her.

"The body of Third-seat Nelani Dinn was discovered in an open field approximately twelve hours ago by Special Forces members sent to assist Captain Soi Fon," she said, "She was killed via stab wound to the heart. Analysis of the body indicates that she was first disabled by slashes to the legs and subsequently killed. There is also evidence that the murder took place somewhere else, and that the body was moved. It was not hidden, so it seems such a move was made more to shift attention away from something else rather than to hide the fact of the murder."

"Do you have any idea of who did it? Surely there must be traces of evidence," Byakuya said.

"Well…" Isane Kotetsu said slowly, "She…she seems to have been dead for several days, and several days under the sun in full view of wild scavengers…" Isane trailed off, not elaborating on the gruesome details.

"Unfortunately, her body was badly damaged by natural factors, and there was little evidence that could be used to discover the killer," Unohana said calmly but with a hint of sadness in her voice, "However, there is one more thing of note. Her zanpakuto seems to have been taken, as she was not in possession of it."

"Who would take another's zanpakuto? They're virtually worthless except in the hands of their owner," Komamura said.

"Perhaps it was bandits," suggested Kyouraku. He turned to Matsumoto, "You were the last one to see her, correct? Wasn't she in severe emotional imbalance? It's possible that in her state of mind she was ambushed by bandits intending to rob her. Her zanpakuto must have seemed an excellent prize to those unaware of how they work."

"A third seat being beaten by a bunch of thugs?" Hisagi said incredulously, "Impossible, she could beat common brutes easily!"

"But in her emotional state her combat abilities were no doubt greatly reduced," noted Kira.

"It seems we are forgetting one crucial detail to all of this: where is Soi Fon?" Ukitake asked.

"Maybe she's still searching," Omaeda suggested, "She's always gone ahead of her men in the past, so it's possible she hasn't been informed of this affair and is still searching for the girl."

"Not likely," Renji said, "She wouldn't ignore the summons, and I'm not inclined to believe she simply lost her means of communication."

"You're suggesting that whoever committed this crime may be involved with Captain Soi Fon's disappearance?" asked Kira.

"It's possible," Renji said.

"If this is true, I suggest we send several high-ranking officers to investigate," Komamura said, "We must get to the bottom of this."

"No," Yamamoto said firmly, "We cannot do that."

"But sir, surely-"

"No. Seireitei's defenses are of a higher priority. We must continue to secure our defenses. We will continue to send out patrols, but the higher ranking officers must continue their duties here!" Yamamoto said.

"But what if Soi Fon has been injured or abducted? Someone of Captain-level strength could be lurking out there!" Ukitake said, "We must be prepared to engage such an enemy!"

"If that is true then it is all the more reason to keep our forces here, where our defenses are already in place, rather than out there where we don't know what will occur."

"But sir-" Ukitake began to protest.

"That is my final decision!" Yamamoto growled, "All of you resume your stations and double your efforts for preparing for our upcoming battle. We must not let this incident throw off our defenses."

---

Hinamori was lying down on a makeshift bed inside the cave that served as her temporary home. She held up the zanpakuto of Nelani and Soi Fon, admiring her prizes of battle.

"_What do you intend to use those for?" _the voice of Tobiume said in Hinamori's head, _"Zanpakuto will not work for anyone other than their proper owner."_

"I'm not going to use them to replace you, if that's what you're asking," Hinamori said with a slight smirk.

"_That was not my intention at all. So how is that new body of yours doing?"_

Hinamori lifted her arm and clenched her hand several times.

"Stiff," she said, "Like I'm inside a heavy suit. It will take time to get used to this."

"_That is to be expected. After all, your real body was destroyed, and this one is a mere artificial duplicate. It is a false, unnatural thing not meant to exist within this world. Your natural soul can't properly move such an unnatural thing through a natural world."_

"There's no need to have that kind of attitude, I just need more time to adjust to it," Hinamori scowled, "Would you rather I be dead? Aizen provided me with this new body, and I am much stronger because of it. I wonder if you are certain where your allegiances lie."

"_My allegiances are with you of course,"_ Tobiume said.

"Make sure that is where they stay," Hinamori said, "I am grateful to you for returning to me, but you must realize what will happen if you ever turn against me. I must compliment you though, you certainly played on Nelani's emotions to get to me. Who would have thought you could be so cruel?" Hinamori laughed harshly, but Tobiume remained silent, causing Hinamori to smirk.

"You don't feel bad for the stupid girl did you? You knew that you weren't coming to save me, you deceived her so that you could reunite with me! It's too late for guilt now!"

"_If I had known what would happen to her..." _Tobiume said quietly.

"What, you wouldn't have brought her before me? Don't kid yourself, you only wanted to reunite with me; Nelani was just a means to do that. Did you think I'd have her join me? Was I supposed to let her go free? She was too weak and stupid to be of any use to me, she had to die."

"_How many more of your friends do you intend to kill?" _Tobiume asked.

"All who stand in my way. They betrayed me, they are no longer my friends. I will give them more mercy than they deserve, but they will still most likely die," Hinamori growled, "I will cut them down, and I expect you to help me with that."

"_I am your partner Momo, I will do everything in my power to help you, even if it means helping to kill those you once held dear."_

"Yes, I'm sure you will," Hinamori whispered, a wide grin on her face.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to SunsetRainbow, Ryo Muang, Assault Godzilla, Merciless Ruby, argella1300, hitsuhinafan4ever, Momo21, Snowy Peach Tsubasa, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Fourpeg, and heydollface for reviewing! I'm really sorry it took so long to update. First there was break (which I mostly spent being lazy) then there was the beginning of a new semester, so I didn't have time to write the new chapter. Sorry! Please review (it might provide a bit of motivation to get the next one out sooner)!


	26. Chapter 25

Darkness

_Chapter 25_

Hinamori took a deep breath and flicked her wrist. A small burst of pink flames shot from the palm of her hand, illuminating the dark cave for a moment in pink glow. Hinamori nodded to herself in satisfaction; her powers were improving. Before she would often burn the palms of her hand while summoning the flames, but she was now able to summon the flames more efficiently while not burning herself.

She marveled at Aizen's brilliance in creating a device like the one given to her. It brought out her power to its full potential, giving her power a physical form. It was similar to the power of Tobiume, focusing her power into a presence used to attack, but now that power was much more versatile. She could likely combine that power with ordinary Kido spells to make them stronger, not to mention the fact that she was now stronger and faster overall. It truly was a marvelous device, pushing her powers to their limits.

She paused amidst these thoughts. What were Aizen's plans for her? She knew that he hadn't gone to all this trouble just to add her to his army. He had something special planned for her.

"What is he planning?" she said to herself, "Why would it be in his best interest to make me more powerful?"

"What difference does it make?" Hinamori said again, this time in a harsher voice, "He has given us this power, and with it we will defeat all who stand in our way."

"But what if he is planning on using us again? We are nothing but tools to him, he would have no qualms about killing us if we cease to be useful."

"Kill us? We would kill him first! We are not on his side, remember? We have our own plans now; we are only following him because it is convenient."

"But he is still far stronger than we are, not to mention the fact that he is in control of an army, whereas we are alone."

"We should have spared Nelani, I can't stand this loneliness," she said, tears coming to her eyes.

"She had to die," Hinamori said harshly, "What's done is done, and we will not dwell on that any further."

"What action will we take next?"

"We will follow Aizen's plan for now."

"We must remain on his good side before we act on our own."

"Only then shall we prevail."

"And take the revenge we so rightfully deserve."

Hinamori broke out into a fit of laughter as she lay on the bed talking to herself.

"He will fall to us! We will become stronger than him, and we sall take him down!"

"Not just him, every person who betrayed us!"

"Hitsugaya, Kira, Yamamoto…"

"Every last one!"

"Their fate is sealed!"

"Yes! Yes!" Hinamori shrieked, "They will all pay! All of them!" She laughed to herself for a minute before abruptly stopping.

"Tobiume!" she said harshly. A voice soon appeared in her head.

"_What is it Momo?" _Tobiume asked quietly.

"Don't speak that way to me!" Hinamori growled.

"_Are you alright? You were talking to yourself," _Tobiume said.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking out loud, so shut up about it!" Hinamori snapped.

"_Very well. What can I do for you?"_

"Have you convinced Suzumebachi and Kanashii Seijaku to appear before me?" Hinamori asked, pointing to the two zanpakuto laid out in front of her.

"_No, they have thus far refused to come out. Not surprising seeing as you killed their masters," _Tobiume said.

"It's possible. Tousen was able to gain control of the Suzumushi even though it was not orginally his."

"_But that was through years of patient meditation and conversation with the zanpakuto, not merely demanding that it come forward. Materializing zanpakuto takes much effort ordinarilly, and I doubt you could do so with other zanpakuto, especially ones that were angry with you. Even if you were able to summon them, they wouldn't follow you."_

"I'll be the judge of that," Hinamori said lifting up her arm.

"_Please don't use that again Momo. It is already forcing your body against its natural limits, I fear for what will happen if you use it too much," _Tobiume said.

"I'll be fine. Besides, this is the only way to subjugate them without going through needless trouble."

"_But look at what it's done to you! Ever since you used it against Soi Fon, your physical and mental health has taken a turn for the worse!"_

"Ridiculous, I am stronger than ever before!"

"_But Momo…"_

"Shut up! I'll be fine!" Hinamori said angrily. She lifted her arm and closed her eyes. There was a bright flash of light and the skin on her arm began to melt away in places, revealling the black band that allowed her power to reach such levels. A fierce pink glow surrounded her body and the zanpakuto in front of her. Moments later shapes emerged from the two zanpakuto, the form of Kanashii Seijaku and Suzumebachi. Kanashii Seijaku took the form of a mouse and Suzumebachi was a tall, dark skinned woman wearing a yellow and black cloak. Both were glaring at Hinamori.

"_How dare you?"_Suzumebachi growled, _"You kill our masters and then force us through this indignity."_

"_How could you have done that to Nelani?"_ Kanashii Seijaku said shrilly, _"Nelani thought of nothing but helping you, and you murdered her for it! You are despicable! A monster!"_

"_We will not cooperate with someone like you,"_ Suzumebachi said coldly.

"I think you will. My power will force you to," Hinamori said.

"_You heartless monster! You'll never get away with your evi!" _Kanashii Seijaku yelled, _"And Tobiume! Didn't you tell Nelani that you wanted to help her save Momo? That you would try to keep her safe? You lied! You tricked Nelani into walking into the jaws of your murderous master!"_

"_I…I did what I had to…" _Tobiume said, _"I didn't know what would happen…"_

"_But you cared more about being with her than Nelani's life! You are just as guilty as her!"_ Suzumebachi said coldly.

"It's strange to see you two taking the same side, as your masters were enemies," Hinamori said with a slight smirk.

"_They died with the same enemy, and we shall never follow that person!" _Kanashii Seijaku said.

"We'll see about that!" Hinamori said with a shriek of laughter, her body glowing in an aura of energy. Submit to me! A wave of power came from Hinamori, putting massive amounts of pressure onto the two zanpakuto spirits. They tried to resist, but soon they fell. Hinamori laughed.

"You see, there is no stopping me! None shall stand in my way! Not you, not Soul Society, not even Aizen! All will fall before me! I'll win! I'll always win!" she shrieked in laughter.

* * *

Thanks for reading! As you can see, Hinamori is diving deeper and deeper into the realms of insanity as a result of the power she has obtained. Thank you to Merciless Ruby, argella1300, Assault Godzilla, SunsetRainbow, hitsuhinafan4ever, Full Shadow Alchemist, timisnotmyname, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Ryo Muang, snoopypet, Fourpeg, shortliketoshiro, and Jaybird4909 for reviewing! I put this chapter out early to make up for the long time between updates, but the next chapter will probably be up in about a week (maybe earlier if lucky). Please review!


	27. Chapter 26

Darkness

_Chapter 26_

"Um, Captain?" Matsumoto asked hesitantly.

"What do you want?" Hitsugaya said tiredly.

It had been ten days since Nelani was found dead, and Matsumoto was still reeling from the shock. Losing Hinamori, and now Nelani, took a great toll on her. Matsumoto knew them both to be innocent, regardless of what others may say, and their deaths were great tragedies for her. In just a month she had lost two of her best friends, and months earlier Ichimaru had betrayed her. Not since her days as an orphan in Rukongai had Matsumoto felt so alone. She knew that Hitsugaya was taking Hinamori's death roughly too, even if he didn't show it. Things were feeling very out of control for both of them.

"Well? What did you want?" Hitsugaya said impatiently. Matsumoto snapped back into reality, realizing she had dozed off while thinking.

"Oh, sorry!" Matsumoto said, "I…I was wondering if they've told you anything about the investigations about Nelani and Soi Fon."

"Were you informed in any developments in the case?" Hitsugaya asked.

"N-no…" Matsumoto said.

"Then no," Hitsugaya said coldly, "Nothing I've been told is of enough importance to warrant leaking the information to you."

"Oh…I see…" Matsumoto said in disappointment. Hitsugaya sighed.

"If you must know, they're presuming that Soi Fon is somehow incapacitated," he said grudgingly.

"It took them a week to figure that out?" Matsumoto said, "What about Nelani? Do they have any idea who killed her?"

"Unohana is still examining the body, but no leads have been found yet."

"Captain-"

"Just be quiet and finish your work," Hitsugaya said irritably. Matsumoto looked down at the stack of paperwork in front of her.

"Yes Captain…" she said quietly. Hitsugaya stood up and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm going for a walk. Keep doing your paperwork."

"Yes Captain…" Matsumoto repeated.

----

Hitsugaya stepped outside, and was surprised to find that it was already dark. He hadn't realized that so much time had passed. He rarely left the office to eat or drink and spent all of his time at home sleeping and going through old items from when he and Hinamori were children. He did his best not to think of her and the horrible way she had died. He felt guilty about trying not to think of it, as that made him feel as if he were abandoning her, but he couldn't bear to think of her, it was too painful.

He sighed as he walked the empty streets of Seireitei. Things were getting more complicated than ever. Who had killed Nelani? What had happened to Soi Fon? Was it Aizen? Did he have agents working in Seireitei? It was a slim possibility, but it was the only thing he could think of. More importantly, if it was Aizen at fault, why had they killed Nelani? She couldn't have posed a threat. Had she stumbled upon something they wished to keep secret?

Hitsugaya rubbed his head. It seemed almost certain that Aizen was behind this, which meant that the war was likely drawing closer. Time seemed to be slipping past unregulated as Seireitei headed in the direction of war. Hitsugaya was anxious but also glad. He wanted to fight against Aizen now more than ever. He had hurt so many people, but worst for Hitsugaya, he had hurt Hinamori. Aizen had essentially broken his childhood friend, ruining her life and casting the suspicion upon her which resulted in her death. Hinamori had died alone and frightened because of Aizen, and Hitsugaya would make sure that Aizen paid for what he had done.

Hitsugaya walked aimlessly for some time, and before he knew it, was at his private residence. He was planning on going back to the office after his walk, but now found himself too weary to bother. He walked straight to his room and lied down on his bed, sighing as he did so. He glanced at a framed photograph showing a young Hitsugaya and Hinamori eating watermelon together. Granny had taken the photo, saying that she wanted them to remember how happy they were as children when they got older. Hitsugaya scoffed when the photo was taken, but was now infinitely grateful towards Granny for taking the photo. He never wanted to forget Hinamori. He felt his eyes become watery and teary, and he blinked back the tears. He refused to cry, he wouldn't show such weakness. He blinked his eyes rapidly, hoping to get the tears out of his eyes. He wouldn't spend his time weeping over Hinamori, he would avenge her death by defeating Aizen. He wouldn't cry. He closed his eyes tightly, willing the tears to go away, but they remained there. Sighing in defeat, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he did so.

----

Hitsugaya awoke to a tremendous roar. He sat bolt upright, looking around hastily, trying to determine what the noise was. He heard a pounding on his door, and hastily ran to open it. A shaken Matsumoto stood in the doorway.

"Captain, it's begun! The entire eastern wall has collapsed! There are hundreds of hollow pouring into Seireitei! This is it! The arrancar are here too, and sensors have detected several high-level Shinigami entering as well!" Matsumoto said hurriedly.

"Aizen…" Hitsugaya growled. He hastily grabbed his zanpakuto and captain's haori and ran out to battle.

"When did they appear?" Hitsugaya asked as he and Matsumoto shunpoed towards the eastern wall where hollow were streaming in.

"Just minutes ago! They came out of nowhere and suddenly the entire eastern wall collapsed!" Matsumoto said. Just then there was a roar behind them as a winged hollow flew at them. Hitsugaya leapt up and drew his sword and slashed it in two, his eyes full of fury. This was it. This was the desisive battle where he would help to defeat Aizen and avenge Hinamori. Matsumoto had also drawn her sword and was preparing to engage the hollow that were now rampaging through Seireitei.

"Matsumoto, forget the smaller hollows, they're just to distract us. Focus on any arrancars or menos you encounter," Hitsugaya ordered.

"Yes sir!" Matsumoto said. Hitsugaya shunpoed ahead of her, intent on finding whoever Aizen had chosen to lead this attack, if not Aizen himself.

As he shunpoed, he saw Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa battling several arrancar. They seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their battle, but with the numbers against them, they would need help. He rushed to them, thrusting his sword forward to block a strike that would have slashed Ikkaku across the back, bringing his sword around to decapitate the arrancar that had made the strike. Ikkaku turned to Hitsugaya as he continued to fight, a grin on his face.

"Hey Captain, don't steal the fight from us!" he said.

"Worry less about that and more about defeating your opponents," Hitsugaya said. He was about to leave the fight when a hooded and cloaked figure suddenly appeared before them. The figure drew its sword, causing Hitsugaya, Yumichika, and Ikkaku to raise their swords defensively, not knowing who the opponent was. The figure drew its sword and in one swift movement, slashed all the remaining arrancars in two.

"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing?" Yumichika asked. The figure remained silent.

"I am Captain Hitsugaya of the Tenth Division! Identify yourself!" Hitsugaya said firmly. The figure remained silent. Yumichika lowered his sword and stepped forward.

"Who are you, why are you-"

"Ayesegawa, get back!" Hitsugaya yelled.

Suddenly, in a flash of movement, the figure was right behind Yumichika. Yumichika fell to the ground, slashed from shoulder to hip.

"Yumichika!" Ikkaku yelled. The figure bent down and picked up Yumichika's zanpakuto before turning and shunpoing away. Hitsugaya and Ikkaku immediately gave chase.

"You cowardly bastard! Give back Yumichika's zanpakuto!" Ikkaku yelled, his face contorted with rage over having lost his friend.

"Halt! Stop right where you are!" Hitsugaya yelled after the figure, only to be ignored. They continued to chase the figure, but it was so fast that they could barely keep up. Suddenly Matsumoto appeared beside them, shunpoing along with them.

"Captain, what happened? Weren't you-"

"That bastard got Yumichika and stole his zanpakuto!" Ikkaku yelled, "Get after him! Stop the coward!"

"Keep a level head, whoever this is, they are not to be taken lightly! Did you see the zanpakuto he was using?"

"No, what-"

"It was Kanashii Seijaku! Whoever that is, they were the one who killed Nelani!" Hitsugaya said.

"What? We have to catch him!" Matsumoto shouted.

"Shut up and chase him!" Hitsugaya ordered.

They chased the hooded figure for miles, unable to catch up but not losing sight of it. Suddenly, it stopped on top of a roof. Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and Ikkaku encircled the hooded figure, careful not to let their guard down.

"You are surrounded! Reveal your identity!" Hitsugaya said.

"You bastard, you'll pay for tricking Yumichika like that! Return his zanpakuto immediately!" Ikkaku yelled.

"Who are you? How did you get Nelani's zanpakuto? You're the one who killed her weren't you?" Matsumoto said angrily. A dark chuckle came from the cloaked figure, soon turning into a hysterical laugh.

"You fools!" a harsh female voice said, "You utter fools, prepare to be eradicated!"

"That voice…" Matsumoto whispered, her eyes widening.

"Show yourself!" Hitsugaya yelled.

"As you wish," the figure said, grabbing the cloak and throwing it aside.

"N-no…" Hitsugaya whispered, his eyes wide.

"Impossible…" Matsumoto gasped.

"You…" Ikkaku said, his voice still full of anger but now also with confusion.

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya gasped. Hinamori looked at them with a mad grin appearing on her face. Her eyes had taken on a reddish orange tint and her skin was extremely pale. She had a rather sickly look about her, but power was emanating from her.

"Well hello! Did you miss me?" she said mockingly.

"How…how did you survive?" Matsumoto asked.

"Unfortunately, that is between me and Aizen," Hinamori said, her grin growing ever wider.

"Aizen…so you have been working for him!" Hitsugaya growled.

"In the end," Hinamori said with a smirk.

"You…you killed Nelani?" Matsumoto asked. Hinamori nodded.

After she returned Tobiume, I had no use for her," Hinamori said, "And now, it is your turn to die."

In a flash of movement, Hinamori leapt into the air made a sweeping movement with her hand, creating a wall of flames that surrounded all four of them, narrowing the battle area and cutting off any means of escape. She drew her sword, with the others doing the same.

"Snap! Tobiume!" she said, activating her Shikai and leaping at Hitsugaya, Ikkaku, and Matsumoto.

"When did you become so cruel?" Hitsugaya growled, fending off her blows as she fought all three of them.

"More like when did I stop being weak!" Hinamori retorted.

"Stop this! We're your friends!" Matsumoto shouted.

"There is no such thing as friends, you have already demonstrated that quite clearly!" Hinamori sneered as she fought them. Hinamori was able to fend off all three of them at once, in no small part due to the fact that Hitsugaya and Matsumoto could not fight at full strength against Hinamori.

"Stop this Hinamori! If you keep this up, we'll have to forcefully stop you!" Hitsugaya yelled.

"You already killed me once, do you think I'd let you do it again?!" Hinamori screamed, unleashing a fireball from Tobiume at them. Trapped by the flames surrounding them, they could only brace themselves as the blast exploded among them.

Ikkaku fell to his knees from the blast, Matsumoto lay on the floor, badly burned, and Hitsugaya shakily stood, greatly shaken by the blast. Hinamori raised her sword, preparing to finish them off when she suddenly turned her head to look off into the distance.

"Well, it seems that I'm needed elsewhere. You could consider yourself lucky to have survived for now, but in reality both Nelani and Yumichika were far luckier than you," she said with a smirk before disappearing.

---

Captain Commander Yamamoto faced off against Ulquiorra Schiffer, the fourth espada. His power level far surpassed Ulquiorra's, but he knew that this would be a tough battle, given what he knew of Ulquiorra. He had already released his Shikai, and the entire are was covered in flames. Yamamoto raised his sword and released a blast of flames at Ulquiorra.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of Ulquiorra, blocking the flames. Yamamoto squinted at the figure, and expressed only the tiniest amount of surprise upon realizing who it was.

"Well what do you know, you did survive," he said. Hinamori stood in front of Ulquiorra, having just deflected the blast.

"My apologies for my lateness," Hinamori said to Ulquiorra. She turned to Yamamoto.

"Captain Commander Genryussai Yamamoto, this is the end for you. Prepare yourself!" Hinamori launched herself at him. Yamamoto's eyes narrowed.

"Impertinent girl…" he muttered. He flicked his sword at Hinamori, and she immediately burst into flames, falling right at Yamamoto's feet. Her body was engulfed in flames and continued to burn as she lay on the ground.

"Fool," Yamamoto muttered, "You managed to survive execution yet you throw your life away so easily. He turned to face Ulquiorra, but as he did so felt two sharp jabs in his ankle. He looked down at the still-burning Hinamori and saw that her left hand was raised, a knife-like object attached to her finger. On his ankle was a buttefly-shaped mark.

"You lose…" Hinamori whispered.


	28. Chapter 27

Darkness

_Chapter 27_

Momo Hinamori slowly opened her eyes to a darkened room. She felt strangely stiff, as if she were encased in stone. Her vision was blurry, but she could see a strange glow surrounding her, behind which was a figure standing above her. She focused her eyes, attempting to see who it was. She could make out the uniform of an arrancar, but the individual wearing the uniform was clearly not an arrancar. Though Hinamori could not see the face, she could tell that it was a female. After several moments of squinting at the figure, the realization of who it was dawned on her.

"You…" she said in a hoarse whisper, "You're that…Inoue girl." Hinamori had of course heard of this girl, first from Seireitei, then from Aizen. She was a former ally of the ryoka who now served Aizen.

"I am Orihime Inoue," she said with a small bow.

"Yes, I know, but what are you doing?" Hinamori asked in as impatient a tone as her weak voice could manage.

"Healing you of course. Your attack on Captain-commander Yamamoto left you badly burned, and I have been tasked with healing your wounds. Unfortunately your body seems to be resistant to my powers, making it difficult to heal you. You've been out for a week."

"A week, huh?" Hinamori said, "Then the old man really did die?" Orihime nodded.

"Yes, Genryuusai Yamamoto is dead. His death led to chaos within the ranks of the Shinigami, and Seireitei has fallen into the hands of Aizen-sama." A grin crossed Hinamori's face.

"Then they are defeated? The leaders of Seireitei are all defeated?" she asked.

"I have not been granted the priviledge of being told of the full scope of what has happened, but I do know that Captains Kuchiki, Komamura, Hitsugaya, and Mayuri have been captured and the others either killed or on the run. Although many of the shinigami have managed to escape into Rukongai, others are cooperating with us and are bending to our will."

"You say that Hitsugaya is among those captured?" she asked. Orihime nodded, causing Hinamori to grin even more widely. "Good…he is finally suffering appropriately."

Suddenly there was a strange noise which Hinamori recognized as Sonido, the arrancar equivalent of Shunpo. Orihime abruptly turned around and bowed.

"Stark-sama, it is an honor to be in your presence," she said. Stark waved off her courtesy.

"There is no need for such formality. Tell me, how is she doing? Is she able to move yet?"

"Well, I'm not sure-"

"Yes. I can move," Hinamori said, clenching her fists and sitting up. Her body felt strange, even stranger than when she first awoke with her restored body. Sharp pains struck her joints as she moved them, but she ignored them as she looked at Stark.

"Well aren't you worse for wear," he said casually. Hinamori's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Stark glanced over at a nearby table and picked up a mirror, holding it out in front of her. Hinamori's eyes narrowed as she looked into her reflection.

Hinamori barely recognized herself. Her face was paler and thinner than it had been before. Her hair seemed more dull than usual. Her eyes were a coppery orange. It was strange to see herself in this fashion, but she liked it. She looked powerful, ruthless, and predatory now.

"I suppose I should give you this then," Stark said, holding up a folding piece of clothing.

"What is it?" Hinamori asked.

"The uniform of the Captain-commander. Take it, I'm tired of being the one Aizen tasked to look after this place." Hinamori's eyes widened.

"Captain-commander…me?"

"You killed the previous Captain-commander; by Seireitei's own laws, you are to take his place and rule over Seireitei."

A maniacal grin once again crossed Hinamori's face, and she burst out into laughter.

"Yes…yes this is just what I wanted! Finally! I have so long deserved this recognition! Captain-commander Hinamori! How do you like that, _Captain_ Hitsugaya? You thought you were better than me all those years, but who's better now?" Hinamori shrieked with laughter.

"Do not get to full of yourself," a cold voice said, "You are still in servitude of Aizen-sama. It would be wise to remember that." Hinamori turned to see Ulquiorra standing by the doorway.

"Oh, it's you," Hinamori said, "What do you want?"

"Stark and I must brief you on what has happened while you were unconcious," Ulqiorra explained.

"Aw man, and I thought I was finally free from the work," Stark grumbled.

"Ulquiorra-sama, I am sorry, but I must protest! Hinamori-sama still is not fully healed and-"

"No! I will go!" Hinamori said firmly, shakily getting off of the bed she had been laying on, "I must take command as soon as I can. It is Aizen-sama's wish after all."

"Oh…good luck then…" Orihime said timidly, watching as the three left the room.

---

Toushiro Hitsugaya sat in his cramped cell, his eyes closed as he thought of what had happened.

He could scarcely believe it…Hinamori was _alive_, and working for Aizen, no less. What could have happened? Was it all a set up? Had Aizen secretly kidnapped her and turned her to his side before the execution? And how had she become so strong? During their fight, she had been fighting on equal ground with a Captain, a Vice-captain, and a third-seat, which would have been impossible with her previous level of power.

More troubling was the change in her personality. He could accept that Aizen had tricked her into serving him in a time of emotional instability. What he could not accept was that Hinamori could be as cruel and heartless as she was when confronting them. She had killed Nelani, a girl who cared deeply for her and dedicated her life to her in cold blood. Hitsugaya couldn't accept that Hinamori had done such a horrendous crime. There had to be some other factor involved. Perhaps she was under some sort of mind control. Perhaps she was under a spell that caused her to mistake her friends for mortal enemies. Maybe her memories had been wiped and all that remained was what Aizen told her. Perhaps that wasn't Hinamori at all, but a clever ruse to throw Hitsugaya and the others off-guard.

Hitsugaya's stomach lurched at the thought of the last one. No matter how terrible she had become, he was genuinely glad that she was alive. It was a strange emotion. His longing to have Hinamori alive again had become reality, but in the worse possible way possible. He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, trying to figure out his own emotions.

It had been several days, perhaps a week, since he had been captured. He was one of the first to be captured, and as such was unaware of what had become of other Shinigami. After a quick sham trial that declared him guilty of nonexistant crimes, he was locked away with hundreds of other Shinigami. He was unaware of what exactly become of his fellow captains, the vice-captains, and the other shinigami, but one thing was clear: Seireitei had fallen.

"Feeding time!" a voice said. Hitsugaya looked up to see an arrancar sliding a tray of food at him. It consisted of a small bowl of some sort of soup and a single peeled potatoe. A small bowl of water accompanied it. Hitsugaya took a small taste of the soup and winced; it was incredibly salty and strongly spiced, as if it were designed specifically to be inedible as a meal. He quickly took a drink of the water. Sighing, he tried dipping the small, uncooked potatoe into the soup, finding that the bland potatoe and the harsh soup made a bearable meal. He quickly finished the meal, finding that he was still hungry.

It was to be expected; the more reiatsu an individual had, the more they needed to eat. Even in this prison, where the walls were made of some sort of reiatsu-suppressing substance, he found his hunger to be great. He recalled out he used to eat huge amounts of watermelon on the front porch of his old home with…Hinamori…

He sighed again. He couldn't get her out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, thinking of what could have possibly happened to have changed Hinamori so profoundly, soon drifting off into a deep but troubled sleep.

---

Hinamori sat meditating with Tobiume in what were now her private quarters. She took a deep breath, and in an instant found herself in the world of Tobiume. The familiar orchards were present, but the bright pink fruit had turned a shade of purplish black.

"_So you have come," a voice said. Hinamori turned to see Tobiume standing behind her, a somber expression on her face._

"_It's good to see you again," Hinamori said._

"_Indeed," Tobiume said, "You have changed much since our last meeting."_

"_If you're referring to my appearance, it is merely the cost of power," Hinamori laughed, "And it is worth it! Yamamoto is dead, Hitsugaya is rotting in prison, Seireitei is under my command, everything is working out perfectly for me!"_

"_You are performing evil actions," Tobiume noted, "If you continue this-"_

"_Oh stop it!" Hinamori said impatiently, "You are just as guilty as me. Did you not join me in my fight? Did you not lead Nelani to her death just so that you could be with me?"_

"_Yes, but I didn't know-"_

"_But you didn't care. The end result was your being reunited with me, and that is all you wanted," Hinamori said, "Just as I shall accomplish my plans regardless of the means needed to succeed." Tobiume suddenly grabbed Hinamori's shoulders._

"_Snap out of this Momo!" she said, "It's not too late, you can still turn back and make things right!"_

"_Right? Things have never been more right for me! Friendship, compassion, love…they were all pitiful feelings that prevented me from realizing any goals of my own. Now, more than ever, I will accomplish my goals, regardless of what I need to do to do so! Will you join me or oppose me?" there was a long silence._

"_Momo…I've always wanted what is best for you, but I cannot go with you on this," Tobiume finally said. Hinamori's face suddenly changed to a look of confusion and rage._

"_What?" she whispered, unable to believe her ears._

"_I cannot cooperate with you anymore. This power…it's turned you into a monster! Look at yourself, look at what you've become!"_

"_I've become more powerful than ever before! I've become-"_

"_A demon! A murderer! Don't you see, you've killed your true self!" Tobiume shouted, "You have to stop this right now! I can't serve the monstrosity you've become!" A grim smile crossed Hinamori's face._

"_Well if you are not with me, then you are AGAINST ME!!!" she shouted, suddenly releasing a fireball of energy at Tobiume. Tobiume leapt away, avoiding the flames just as they hit a tree, igniting it in flames._

"_Momo!" Tobiume gasped._

"_You have served me well Tobiume, but I have no need for someone who is disloyal to me. Goodbye." Hinamori's eyes flashed with hatred and anger, and within moments her entire inner world was engulfed in pink flames. The beatiful orchard of trees burned, and with it, Hinamori thought, Tobiume. Suddenly there was a voice coming from nowhere._

"_You have gone beyond redemption Momo. I am truly sorry to have failed you, both as a zanpakuto and as a friend. I will leave you with a final warning: this power that you have come to love so much will one day destroy you. Goodbye, Momo."_

Hinamori opened her eyes, finding herself once again in her private quarters. She looked in her lap and saw an empty scabbard which had once held Tobiume. She lifted the empty scabbard, her eyes wide and her face contorted with rage. She shook with anger and threw it across the room, letting out a scream.

"DAMN YOU TOBIUME!!!"


	29. Chapter 28

_A/N_: This is the chapter that picks up where the prologue left off. It begins a month after the fall of Seireitei.

**Darkness**

_Chapter 28_

"_Shinigami of Seireitei! This is your new leader, Captain-commander Hinamori! You have been betrayed by your former leaders. Sousuke Aizen is a force of good for all beings, seeking to bring peace between Shinigami and hollow, uniting these two opposing sides to create something greater than either could possibly accomplish! The establishment under Genryuusai Yamamoto attempted to squash Aizen-sama's glorious dreams, and we had no choice but to bring down his wicked establishment! Aizen-sama wishes for peace and for the betterment of all beings, and if you cooperate great things shall happen, things that would not have been possible under the corrupt rule of Yamamoto! Follow me, and with Aizen-sama we shall create a new world, a better world! With your cooperation, there is no limit to what we can accomplish!"_

Hinamori's voice blared throughout Seireitei, broadcast through speakers all over. All Shinigami had been placed under temporary house arrest while Aizen and Hinamori's forces completed their takeover. A third of the Shinigami had managed to escape into Rukongai, with the remaining ones either imprisoned or collaborating. The attitude was grim as the hundreds of Shinigami remained confined to their barracks. Most were unwilling collaboraters, being forced into it by the circumstances. They saw what was happening to those who resisted, and were willing to cooperate to prevent themselves from sharing that fate. The Shinigami in the material world remained unaware, as all communication had been cut off. They had no idea what had happened, and would continue to carry out their duties in ignorance.

---

Hinamori switched off the microphone, cutting the broadcast. Ulquiorra had insisted that she make the propoganda speech. It was the fifth one so far since Seireitei had fallen a month earlier. She personally didn't care about it, as she knew that most saw right through the lies, herself included. The intent was to slowly turn as many Shinigami to their side as possible. She would have preferred to see all of the Shinigami executed, but as Shinigami were necessary for maintaining the balance between worlds, Aizen needed them alive for his plans. Unfortunately for the Shinigami, they were not necessary for Hinamori's plans. She would let them live for the time being, until she was able to put her own plans into effect.

There was then a knock on the doors, followed by the doors creaking open. Hinamori turned to see Mayuri and Nemu Kurotsuchi walking in. Hinamori grinned inwardly. Those two had been among the first to fully defect to their side. Hinamori had talked with many shinigami, attempting to convince them to betray their former leaders and join her, with none more quickly than Mayuri. Others may have reluctantly cooperated, but Mayuri was glad to work for her. She knew exactly why: she was allowing him to perform experiments that Seireitei would never havee allowed. As a result, Mayuri was loyal to Hinamori more than Aizen, which fit in well with her plans.

"Captain-commander Hinamori," he said with a slight bow. Hinamori allowed herself a slight smile. She enjoyed being called that, and she wore the cloak of worn previously by Yamamoto to remind all around her to call her that.

"If you are visiting me in person, I assume that you have good news," Hinamori said.

"I do. I am pleased to report that development of the experimental Ourukaimon is going smoothly. The 'Harvester' you proposed is a revolutionary device, but it too is going well. I must compliment you on your forsight in conceiving the idea."

"Yes, it will truly revolutionize the plans of both Aizen and myself. And what of the Rei'Djin project?"

"We have obtained genetic templates necessary for the project, as well as the shinigami and hollow material needed for it. We had trouble stabilizing reiatsu in the manner you requested, but the first specimens should be ready in a week."

"Good, that's good. Just make sure that Aizen knows nothing of that project. If he discovers what we are creating, we will both be killed."

"Yes, Captain-commander," Mayuri said.

"We will do everything in our power to aid you," Nemu said.

"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go visit some old friends," Hinamori said with a slight smirk.

----

Hinamori walked through the prison used to hold captured Shinigami. She had explained to Ulquiorra that she was merely inspecting the prisoners, but that wasn't the reason. She wanted nothing more than to cause Hitsugaya and the others pain. She was glad that he was rotting in jail a jail cell, and wanted to see that pain.

The shinigami in the tiny cells cringed as she walked by. They had seen her butcher their fellow Shinigami, and were greatly afraid of her. She had personally performed several high profile executions, striking fear into the Shinigami populace.

As she approached Hitsugaya's cell, she thought to herself of what his reaction might be. Would he cower in fear of her? Beg her for mercy? Attempt to talk to her? She had ensured that his life was as miserable as possible in the prison. She instructed Yammy, who had accompanied Ulquiorra and Stark to Seireitei, to beat him from time to time. The walls of the prison were designed specifically to negate his reiatsu and that of the other Shinigami kept there, but not of others (a convenient bit of technology that she would have to thank Mayuri for). Hinamori and the arrancars were able to use their power while tormenting the prisoners.

Soon, she was at Hitsugaya's prison cell. She managed to supress the grin that threatened to show on her face, managing to maintain an impassive face as she walked past. Her eyes flickered to him for a second, taking in all of his pain and despair as he sat in his tiny prison cell. He was thin and dirty. His hair was no longer spiky, but rather hanging down, and it was stained with blood from a wound on his head. There were bruises all over his body, no doubt caused by Yammy. She allowed herself only a brief glance, but that was more than enough. She knew for certaiin that he was suffering, and that was what she wanted after all.

As she continued her walk through the prison she suddenly heard a slight whispering noise. She turned to see Rin Tsubokura crouching in the corner and whispering into his hand, oblivious to her presence. She opened the cell door, causing him to freeze and slowly turn around in terror.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly.

"N-n-nothing! Nothing at all ma'am!" he squeaked.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-"

"Yes? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"Y-yes! Nothing, nothing at all!" he said quickly.

"Really? Then what are you doing with that hell butterfly you're hiding?" Hinamori asked. The color drained from Rin's face. Hinamori sighed and drew Yumichika's zanpakuto, which she had been using since she killed Tobiume.

"No no, wait!" Rin begged.

"You should know that contacting those outside this prison is forbidden, as is conspiring against me," she said, raising the zanpakuto.

"No! No, it's not that! Please! No, no don't!"

"It's too late to beg for mercy! All who conspire against me shall die!" Hinamori yelled, bringing the zanpakuto down.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and the wall exploded. Hinamori covered her eyes to block out the dust. When she opened them a figure was standing in the rubble of the wall.

"You!" Hinamori snarled. Juushiro Ukitake stood in the doorway, sword in hand. Suddenly there were several loud crashes throughout the prison.

"Why you!" Hinamori yelled, infuriated that the prison she had created had been breached. She swung her sword at Ukitake only to have it blocked.

"That's not your zanpakuto, you cannot use it to its full extent. That is not your cloak either. You stole both from their real owners through dirty, underhanded means," Ukitake said calmly.

"They're both mine!" Hinamori yelled, "And I don't need it to be at full strength to kill you!" She slashed at Ukitake's side, only for him to sidestep the strike, causing her to overstep and stumble forward. She felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and everything went black.

When she woke up, Ulquiorra was standing above her. She looked around, finding herself still amidst the rubble with Ukitake nowhere to be seen. She realized immediately what had happened and scowled.

"So how many prisoners escaped?" she asked through gritted teeth. She couldn't believe this. Her prison had been breached, and she had been defeated painfully quickly by Ukitake

"Surprisingly few," Ulquiorra answered, "However, they were able to break out former Captain's Kuchiki and Hitsugaya along with Matsumoto Rangiku."

"What? He escaped? Hitsugaya escaped? How did they get away? How could this have been allowed to have happened?" she snarled, shakily standing up.

"They used some sort of Kido spell to teleport themselves and the prisoners away from here," Ulquiorra said.

"'Spacial Displacement,'" Hinamori said, "A forbidden Kido spell that transports a certain area far away. They're probably deep within Rukongai by now, far out of our reach. Damn them!"

"Um, Captain-commander Hinamori," a meek voice said. Nemu walked in from behind a corner.

"What is it?" Hinamori asked.

"Several scientists were freed in the raid. Some of them had knowledge of our projects," Nemu said.

"Damn!" Hinamori cursed. She rubbed the side of her head slowly before turning to Nemu again. "Inform Mayuri to triple his efforts for Rei'Djin! I want a usable subject in three days!"

"Yes, ma'am," Nemu said with a bow. Hinamori growled to herself. She had no way of tracking Hitsugaya, but once Rei'Djin was completed, neither he nor any of the other Shinigami hiding from her would be safe.

---

Hitsugaya sat around a small campfire with Matsumoto, Byakuya, Kyouraku, Ukitake, and Kiyone. Around them were about a dozen other small campfires, each surrounded with Shinigami. It was dusk, with the sky nearly dark. It was gloomy, but it felt infinitely better than the cells that they had been confined to.

"Thank you for rescuing us, Captain Ukitake," Matsumoto said, "I don't know how much longer we would have survived."

"I only wish we could have freed the others…" Ukitake said sadly.

"There will be other chances," Kyouraku said, "Right now we need to figure out what our next course of action will be."

"What happened while we were imprisoned?" Hitsugaya abruptly asked, "What happened to the other officers of Seireitei? Are they imprisoned? Did they manage to escape?" Ukitake sighed.

"Unfortunately, things do not look well for our side," he said, "About a third of Shinigami have been killed. Half are either captured or collaborating. The remaining ones have fled into Rukongai. We're safe here, as Aizen was only able to capture Seireitei, but we don't know how much longer we can hold out."

"And what of my sister?" Byakuya asked.

"She is in the material world with your Vice-captain, currently unharmed, though we have no way of contacting her," Ukitake said, "We should count ourselves lucky that they are alive though, as many others were not so lucky."

"Sasakibe, Omaeda, Zaraki, and Unohana were all killed," Kyouraku said sadly, "Nanao too. I…wasn't able to save her."

"Unohana and Zaraki were killed?" Byakuya asked sharply, startled by this news. Ukitake nodded.

"Zaraki must have killed a dozen arrancar, but eventually he fell. I doubt he would have wanted to die any other way. Unohana chased an arrancar into a building when a cero caused it to collapse, crushing her. That was when Shunsui and I began evacuating as many Shinigami as we could," Ukitake said, "We realized that fighting would only result in more deaths, and did our best to evacuate as many Shinigami to Rukongai as possible. We weren't able to save everyone though. Kira, Iba, and Kusajishi are missing, possibly killed. Komamura and most of the seated officers were captured. Regretably, there were also a number of Shinigami who betrayed us and collaborated with Aizen and the arrancar."

"Who?" Matsumoto asked, "Who else betrayed us?"

"Well, Mayuri and Nemu Kurotsuchi joined up with them…" Kyouraku said slowly.

"Not surprising," Hitsugaya said, "We already know that Mayuri has no morals, and if he turned of course Nemu would follow him. Who else?" Suddenly Kiyone began crying. Matsumoto put a hand on her shoulder as she cried into her shirt.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Two of the more high profile traitors were Shuuhei Hisagi and Isane Kotetsu. They helped Hinamori and Aizen take their divisions under control and are now being honored as captains under them," Ukitake explained.

"Why? Why did she do it?" Kiyone sobbed, "Why did my sister betray us? She saw what Aizen has done! She knew what would happen if he won? She has never been selfish in her life! Why did she betray us? Why did she betray _me_?"

"Let's get some rest," Ukitake said, interrupting his emotional subordinate, "We have important information to gather from scientists we've freed, information that may help determine our future."

Ukitake guided them to sleeping bags and blankets that they had procured during their time on the run. Most of those present quickly fell asleep, but Matsumoto remained wide awake.

She had information kept from her for over a month, and to have all of this information dumped upon her was rather distressing. She had barely come to terms with Hinamori's betrayal, and now all of this was happening. She couldn't believe it. It seemed that her friends were disappearing. First Gin, then Hinamori, and now Hisagi and Isane had betrayed them. Nanao and many others were dead. Rukia and Renji were unreachable in the material world, and Kira, Iba, and Yachiru were all missing, perhaps dead. Everything seemed out of control. She imagined that things were quite bad for her captain as well. He had cared deeply for Hinamori, perhaps even loving her, and she knew that for him to be betrayed by her must be even more difficult than it was for her. She sighed and closed her eyes, soon falling asleep.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I finally reached the point of the prologue, lol! Thank you to Assault Godzilla, Ryo Muang, Instant Classic Superstar, SunsetRainbow, shortliketoshiro, Merciless Ruby, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, and Fourpeg for reviewing! Please review!


	30. Chapter 29

Darkness

_Chapter 29_

Rukia sat casually on the couch in Ichigo's home, munching on cookies and rapidly flipping channels on TV.

"_The latest spending increase-"_

"_Announcing the Leif Erikson Day sale, only at Art Van-"_

"_Our patented 'write right' pencil has titanium reinforced grip to-"_

"_Lifetime presents-"_

"_Breaking news: Peruvian Llama Federation invades Sweden-"_

"_Pikachu has rabies-"_

"_Propane and propane accessories-"_

"_Pizza Hut supports this rebellion-"_

"_Kleptomaniac siamese twins who cheat with eachothers husbands, but first, this story. Five homes, one in Nagoya, one in Saitama, and three in Kagoshima have mysteriously collapsed, with several inhabitants missing. Authorities are investigating this as a possible terrorist incident, and are releasing little information on it. The significance of the homes involved is unknown, and Japanese Self-Defense Forces, along with American troops stationed in Japan, are on high alert. However, neighbors witnessing the the events insist that they saw no suspicious individuals near the destroyed houses, and claim that those missing were ordinary citizens. More after this commercial break."_

"Rukia!"

Rukia looked up and saw Ichigo standing over her, an irritated look on his face.

"Oh, hey Ichigo. I was just watching TV while you were away. Nothing wrong with that is there?"

"Yes, actually. I thought I told you to take out the garbage! If you're going to be staying here while my family is away on vacation you're going to have to chip in with the work, not goof off!"

"Relax, I'll get to it eventually. Besides, this helps me think."

"Think about what?"

"Can't you guess? About how to rescue Orihime," Rukia said. Ichigo sighed, dropping his irritated attitude and sitting down next to Rukia. It had been over a month and a half since their attempt to rescue Orihime had failed. They had come so close, but in the end Aizen was one step ahead of them and took her away once again. Ichigo had been extremely depressed about it, and was barely able to do anything for a long time. Rukia and Renji returned to Karakura shortly afterwards, and they managed to put together the resolve to rescue Orihime eventually. Since then Ichigo had managed to live his everyday life, though he was still extremely worried about Orihime.

He couldn't help but worry about her. Despite obviously wanting to be rescued, she seemed to subconciously identify with the arrancar to some extent. Likely the result of Aizen's brainwashing and subversion of her original ideals and character. After being in Aizen's hands for so long, could she resist that manipulation? Ichigo was seriously worried about that.

"I know what you're thinking Ichigo. Don't give up hope, we'll get her back eventually," Rukia said.

"Thank you, Rukia," Ichigo said, "Where's Renji?"

"He went off to Urahara's place. He's had trouble contacting Seireitei lately and was hoping that he might find a solution."

----

"You sure? Hasn't Captain-commander Yamamoto been sending you orders?" Renji asked

"I've received a few short messages from Seireitei, but no contact from any of the captains for for the past month. The messages didn't contain any important orders, they were just simple stuff. I'd be lying if I told you I'm not concerned, but there's not much I can do right now," Urahara replied with a sly grin, "You'll have to get back to me on this. Now if you'll excuse me, it is nearly lunch time."

"Wait!" Renji yelled. Urahara turned and raised an eyebrow.

"What? I've told you all I know. There's nothing else I can do right now," Urahara said casually.

"Can't we open a Senkai gate or something to see what's going on?"

"Sorry, no can do," Urahara said with a small smile.

"What? Why not?" Renji said.

"Because opening a Senkai gate without permission is against the law in Seireitei. We could get in trouble for doing so without permission."

"Since when have you cared about following the rules? What about when Ichigo and the others went to rescue Rukia? Didn't you open a Senkai gate then?"

"Those were particularly desperate times. I cannot do the same now."

"You're not at all helpful, you know that?" Renji said sarcastically. Urahara merely smiled.

Suddenly they heard a huge crash in the distance.

"What was that?" Renji said, staring off into the distance.

"I don't know, you'd better go check," Urahara replied.

"What, you're not going to help?" Renji yelled. Urahara remained silent.

"Tch, fine I'll go," Renji said irritably, Shunpoing off.

As he shunpoed in the direction of the crash, Ichigo and Rukia appeared beside him, moving along with him.

"What's going on? A hollow?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know," Renji said, "I don't sense any hollow, but something must have caused it."

"Well let's hurry up and take it out!" Rukia said.

They soon stood at the site of the noise. A house was collapsed, with dust rising from it.

"What happened, where's the hollow?" Renji asked.

"How should I know?" Rukia snapped.

"Hey, wasn't there something on the news about houses collapsing?" Ichigo asked, "Perhaps there's been an outbreak of hollow attacks."

"I don't know, just hurry up and find what caused this."

"Haha! There's no need!" a loud voice said from behind them. They turned to see a shinigami with a large afro standing behind them, a proud look on his face.

"Who the hell are you?" Renji asked.

"Who am I? I am Zennosuke Kurumadani, the shinigami designated to look after Karakura Town! And you don't need to worry, I already beat that dragon-snake-hollowish thing!" he boasted.

"Oh really," a sly voice said from behind them. They turned to see Urahara walking up.

"I thought you weren't coming," Renji said irritably.

"Never, mind that," Urahara said dismissively, turning back to Zennosuke, "Do tell us about aforemented 'dragon-snake-hollowish thing.'"

"Well, there I was, minding my own business, when suddenly this huge snake with wings appeared in the sky above me! It didn't look like any hollows I'd ever seen, but I beat it all the same! You should have seen me! It came at me, but I jumped out of the way like this, and then I took a swipe at it! It tried to dodge, but I managed to get it a little! So then I-"

"Well I think it's safe to say that if this guy was able to beat it then we shouldn't need to worry too much," Ichigo said dryly.

"Perhaps, perhaps not…" Urahara mused. Suddenly there was a whoosh behind them. They turned to see a shadowy figure covered in robes. The face wasn't visble due to the hood it wore. They all immediately took defensive stances, unsure of whether this was an ally or an enemy.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Renji asked. The figure remained silent, so Renji tried again. "I am Vice-captain of the Sixth Division, Renji Abarai! Now tell me, what is your purpose here?"

The figure reached into its robes, causing everyone present to tense up. Instead of a weapon however, it pulled out a ragged piece of cloth, which landed on the ground near them. With that, the figure shunpoed away with a whoosh.

"Who on earth was that?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know. He just appeared and vanished! Who the hell just shows up without saying something and then runs off. Not to mention the fact that he didn't even show his face," Renji said.

"Hey, I think you should look at this…" Rukia said, her voice shaky, as she kneeled on the ground looking at the cloth. They looked at it, their eyes widening.

"This is…"

"A piece of a Captain's haori," Urahara said.

They stared in shock at the cloth, particularly at the words written at the bottom. It was written in blood, as if from a dying message. It read, _"Rei'Djin."_

After a moment of shocked silence, Urahara looked up at them.

"I think I'll open that Senkai gate now."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Assault Godzilla, SunsetRainbow, timisnotmyname, Ryo Muang, heydollfacexx, shortliketoshiro, Hinata-cutie, Merciless Ruby, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Akiharu-chan, Momo21, and animelover24271 for reviewing! Please review!


	31. Chapter 30

Darkness

_Chapter 30_

"Are you ready?" Ichigo asked.

"As ready as ever," Rukia replied.

"I've been ready for a while," Renji said.

They stood in front of the Senkai Gate that Urahara had constructed. Yoruichi, in her cat form, stood on the ground next to them. Uryuu and Sado were there as well.

"I still say that we should accompany you," Uryuu said.

"No, you have to stay here. If more of those…things show up, you have to defend the people of Karakura," Ichigo explained.

"Very well," Uryuu said reluctantly, "But still you don't know what we're up against."

"Which is why we're going to go check it out!" Ichigo said. He turned to Urahara. "It's ready, right? Start it up and send us to Seireitei." Urahara tilted his hat up.

"I'm actually sending you to the outskirts of Rukongai, so you'll have to walk a distance to Seireitei," he said.

"What? Why?" Ichigo asked, "We found a piece of a captain's haori with words written in blood on it. Something is going on, and we can't afford to-"

"Take it easy," Urahara said lazily, "You'll be able to deal with the issue in due time, but by entering into Rukongai rather than Seireitei, things will potentially go much smoother."

"Why? Is there something you're not telling us?" Rukia asked suspiciously.

"Oh no, I'm just saying that if you enter further away from Seireitei, you won't have to worry about accidentally triggering the alarms. Security is very high these days. Besides, a nice walk will help you think," Urahara said. He tilted his hat down to cover his eyes for a moment. "It's probably nothing, but still, one can't be too cautious…"

"Excuse me?" Renji asked.

"Oh nothing!" Urahara said, reverting to his usual goofy expression, "Okay, I'm starting it up, so off you go!" The Senkai gate opened up, and Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and Yoruichi walked through it.

"Good luck, all of you," Urahara said to them as the gate closed.

----

Hinamori gripped what had once been Yumichika's zanpakuto tightly. The band on her wrist was fully activated, allowing her to access the full extent of her power. Her eyes narrowed as her opponents advanced on her. When they were within range, she burst into movement, slashing and cutting them away. When she was done, she scowled at the figures on the ground.

"Too easy," she said coldly, "Rudobon! Create more!" In the corner of the room, the arrancar Rudobon waited in his released, tree-like state.

"As you wish," he said. More of the skulled warriors appeared from the 'branches' of the arrancar's released form. Within moments, the new batch of warriors (_Calaberas_, as Rudobon called them) were ready to fight.

They charged at her, swords drawn. Hinamori unleashed a blast of energy from her palms, destroying three of them immediately. The others circled around her in an attempt to trap her. They all charged at once, but she was too quick for them. She slashed one of them in half and stabbed another one through the stomach. She grabbed the skull of the last one, releasing a blast of energy. The warrior dropped to the floor, its head completely burned off.

"Do you wish for me to create more?" Rudobon asked. Hinamori looked over the fallen _Calaberas_ at her feet.

"No, don't bother," she said after a moment, a hint of anger in her voice, "You may go now."

Rudobon bowed and left the room. Sighing, Hinamori let the band fused to her wrist sink back into her skin. She rubbed the spot where it had dissapeared into. No matter how many times she did it, it still hurt to activate the mysterious object. A purplish mark was beginning to form on her wrist where the band was activated. She sighed again.

After her defeat by Ukitake, she resolved to make herself stronger; strong enough to beat any shinigami. Thus, she spent hours each day practicing with the power Aizen had given her. The band that was permanently attached to her allowed her to force all of her power out in ways normally impossible, but it was difficult to use properly. If used too much, the power would become too much for her body to handle, and she would beging to physically deteriorate. Thus, she used it as much as she could for as long as she could each day, building up her endurance and perfecting her use of the power. She wouldn't allow herself to be humiliated again. Then there was the fact that Shinigami were loose in Rukongai, Shinigami that would threaten her plans. Including…Hitsugaya.

Hinamori shook herself. There was no point thinking about him. She hated him now more than ever. He would be killed soon anyways, and that was wouldn't allow him to live, not after the way he betrayed her. She growled angrily to herself. She hated them, she hated them all. She hated Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Kira, Aizen, all of them! Then there was Tobiume, the one who was supposed to be eternally loyal to her yet betrayed her all the same. Tobiume was the worst of them, for now Hinamori felt like a piece of herself had been taken away. She had lost her trusted zanpakuto, and was now forced to make do with inferior zanpakuto. Ruri Kujaku, having not gotten along with Yumichika, was somewhat cooperative, but it did not perform for Hinamori as well as Tobiume had. If Tobiume were still in Hinamori's possession, she wouldn't be so helpless. Damn them! Damn them all!

"Captain-commander," a voice said from behind her. She turned angrily to see Nemu standing behind her.

"What? What do you want?" Hinamori growled.

"I came to inform you that Mayuri has requested that we slow the progress of Rei'Djin," Nemu explained.

"What? That's ridiculous! Rei'Djin is integral to my plan, you can't stop it!"

"Yes, but Mayuri feels that if we continue devoting so much effort to Rei'Djin, effort for the Harvester and Ourukaimon has been slowed. He fears that Aizen-Sama may grow suspicious."

"Aizen doesn't know about Rei'Djin or the Harvester," Hinamori said, "Continue the Ourukaimon development more visibly from now on. I don't want progress slowed for Rei'Djin or the Harvester, though you may wish to conduct the operations with greater secrecy. Understood?"

"Understood," Nemu nodded.

"Oh, and Mayuri would be wise to realize that if Rei'Djin doesn't work out, he'll have more to worry about from me than from Aizen."

---

Ukitake, Toushiro, Kyouraku, and Matsumoto sat around the smoldering ashes of a fire. It was midday now, and they were discussing a recent string of strange events.

"But why? What could those things possibly do for them?" Matsumoto asked, "They are far too weak to pose any threat to us. Even a weak hollow is greater than them."

"Perhaps they are just a natural phenomenon," Kyouraku suggested, "An animal we didn't know about."

"If they are animals, it's not just one species," Hitsugaya said, "They have come in all shapes and sizes. Some have wings, some are like snakes, some resemble animals, others look like mystical creatures, but the link they all have in common is that they're targeting us."

"Not with much success though," Matsumoto said, "We've easily dispatched them and sent out patrols to wipe out any that come across this area."

"Perhaps they are targeting anything with reiatsu, in which case they would still pose a threat to people in Rukongai who have not developed any powers but have unusually high reiatsu," Ukitake said.

"But why would they want to do that?" Kyouraku asked, "What benefit would they get from it?"

"The scientists we freed, didn't know much, but they did say that Rei'Djin was some sort of genetic experiment," Hitsugaya replied, "These things aren't natural. They were created, probably through some sort of rapid cloning or reiatsu-body manufacturing. That would explain why their bodies dissapear shortly after they're killed, they're made from unstable reiatsu."

"That still doesn't answer many questions," Matsumoto said, "Maybe they're some sort of surveillance to track us down."

"That would make sense," Ukitake said, "They seem to be inherently attracted to us, so they may be used in a plot against us."

"Well, there's not much we can do about it, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens," Kyouraku said, "What concerns me though is the 'Harvester' that the scientists spoke of. I can't be sure, but-"

"Captain!" Kiyone called, running up to them.

"What is is?" Ukitake asked.

"They've killed two of them! They managed to bring the bodies here! Hurry before they dissapear!" she said.

They immediately got up, and followed Kiyone to the edge of the encampment. There were several Shinigami and a few of the freed scientists inspecting it. They rushed forward to inspect it. They had seen a few of the creatures themselves, but they had disappeared due to their unstable reiatsu within minutes of their death. They were lucky that these specimens had been retrieved intact. One was like a large, two meter long rat with strange quills protruding from its fur. The other was a yellow, lizard-like creature that had wide jaws filled with sharp teeth.

"How long have they been dead?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Just a few minutes sir. They weren't very tough, we were able to take them just by-"

The conversation was interrupted by a sudden whoosh. An oppening appeared out of nowhere. They recognized it as a crude Senkai Gate. What had happened? Had they been discovered? Who was entering Seireitei at this place, and why? All present drew their zanpakuto, prepared for conflict. Moments later, Ichigo, Renji, and Rukia stepped through the portal. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and put their zanpakuto away.

Renji looked around the place. "What's going on? Why are you here? Are you camping or something?"

"Captain, what's happened?" Rukia asked. They stared in shock for several moments. Dozens of Shinigami were present, their robes dirty and ragged. There were small campfires and tents all over the place. After several moments, Ichigo finally spoke.

"What exactly happened while we were in the living world?" he asked, dreading the answer he knew would come.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Sorry if the last bit was a little confusing, but that was the way I designed it to be. Thank you to Merciless Ruby, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, shortliketoshiro, Ryo Muang, SunsetRainbow, snoopypet, Assault Godzilla, captain-hitsugaya-pwns, Full Shadow Alchemist, AmeKage, animelover24271, and Momo21 for reviewing! Please review!


	32. Chapter 31

Darkness

_Chapter 31_

"No way…" Renji whispered, shocked at what he had just been told.

"That…that can't be!" Rukia gasped.

"Seireitei has fallen?" Ichigo said, visibly stunned. Ukitake nodded sadly.

"Yes, unfortunately. It was lucky that the Senkai Gate transported you to Rukongai. If you had gone straight to Seireitei, you would have been captured immediately upon arriving," Ukitake said.

"Urahara must have suspected," Ichigo said, "He intentionally sent us to this location."

"More importantly, what does it mean?" Ukitake asked, holding up the piece of the Captain's haori with 'Rei'Djin' written in blood on them. "Did you see anything of the person who gave it to you?"

"No, he was completely cloaked," Rukia said, "He didn't even speak."

"Who did it belong to?" Ichigo asked.

"I cannot say. It was taken from a section of Haori with no symbols on it, so it can't be identified. Still, we know that it wasn't any of us, and it wasn't Yamamoto or Mayuri, so it must have belonged to Unohana or Komamura," Hitsugaya said.

"I lost mine during the evacuation," Byakuya said, "It may not have been a captain who wrote it, but somebody else doing so on their clothing."

"Unohana is dead and Komamura captured. I doubt they would have had the chance to send this message, and if they did, who was it that delivered it?" Ukitake said.

"We really have no way of knowing. We'll just have to wait and-"

"Captain Ukitake!" They turned to see Kiyone running towards them. Panting, she bowed before her captain.

"Sir, there's something you need to see," she said.

"Very well. Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, I'm sorry but we can't continue this conversation. I'll discuss it further with you later," Ukitake said, walking off with Kiyone. Byakuya also turned to walk away, but Renji stopped him.

"Wait Captain!" he said, "About Momo, Isane, and Shuuhei, there must be some mistake! They can't have become traitors!"

"It has been confirmed. Each of them has betrayed the Gotei 13 and joined the ranks of Aizen. They are now our enemies," Byakuya said coldly.

"But, surely they are being tricked or manipulated! I've known them for years, they can't be traitors! I mean look at Momo! She's one of the sweetest and kindest Shinigami to be among our ranks, but she was manipulated by Aizen into doing his dirty work! Surely it must be the same this time. Aizen is manipulating Isane, Shuuhei, and Momo so that-"

"She isn't Momo," Hitsugaya said in a voice colder than Byakuya's, "She has betrayed the Gotei 13 and murdered her fellow Shinigami in cold blood. Momo would not do those things. She has become a completely different person. The Momo we know is dead."

They remained silent for a moment, no one daring to speak. Then, they heard running behind them, and turned to see Kiyone approaching.

"Captain Ukitake requests your presence! We have found something very disturbing."

They followed her through the camp they had made into the base. The forest was dense and sheltered them from the elements, not to mention discovery by Aizen's forces. Eventually they reached a forest clearing where Ukitake and Matsumoto, along with other Shinigami, were standing. On the ground were the bodies of three shinigami.

There were two men and a woman. They had been viciously killed, torn to shreds and mangled. Whatever had done it had absolutely destroyed them beyond recognition.

"What on earth did this?" Ichigo asked.

"One of those creatures most likely," Byakuya said, "Though none of the previous ones were able to even hurt our Shinigami. Even the weakest hollow were stronger than them."

"The bodies haven't been eaten or consumed, whatever doing this did it purely to kill them," Hitsugaya said, "But it went beyond that, completely mutilating them. Whatever this is, it isn't doing this for the sake of prey. It did this for the sake of killing Shinigami."

"So now what?" Rukia asked. Ukitake scratched his head.

"Increase patrols, and make sure that they stay in groups. We don't know what we're up against here, but it must be something nasty."

* * *

Hinamori looked over the data given to her, grinning at what she saw.

"Good, this is perfect! Put this model into regular production. Don't use that hasty method of creating them, I want these ones to be completely stable when released. This is it! Now that we have perfected Project Rei'Djin, we can focus more effort on the Harvester."

"Yes ma'am," Nemu said with a bow, "If lucky, the harvester should be ready in two weeks. We are running into some difficulties that my master had not forseen. Luckily, we were able to work around that, and the basic frame for it is completed!"

"That's good, but I'd like you to remind your master that Aizen expects progress. He should be careful with mistakes in the future, understood?"

"Understood," Nemu said.

"Very well, you may leave," Hinamori said. Nemu bowed and left the room.

"Aizen-sama will no doubt be pleased with your work." Hinamori turned, looking at Orihime Inoue, who stood silently in the corner.

"I doubt that. He is only using us to achieve his goals. He knows that his aims will be met, so he won't need to be pleased by their success," Hinamori said.

"What do you mean?" Orihime said nervously.

"Surely you realize it. Aizen doesn't care for any of us, only what we can do for him. You, me, the arrancar, Tousen, Ichimaru, none of them matter to him. Once he has reached his goals, he can cast us aside at his leisure. Of course, his weakness is the fact that he sees others of not being of any worth to him. He can't even conceive of the possibility of his plans being ruined, which is why they shall fail."

"I-I don't understand," Orihime said.

"You don't need to. I know you do not serve Aizen willingly, but you still serve Aizen. But you can serve me willingly. Wouldn't you like that? Were Aizen out of the way, you would be free. Just give me time, and I can free you from Aizen. You need only pledge your loyalty to me, and your fate will be completely changed."

"I-I…you…I-I don't know…but…" Orihime stuttered.

"I'll give you time to consider the proposal. You may leave now," Hinamori said. Orihime bowed and left the room.

Hinamori sighed and walked over to the bed at the center of the darkened room and laid down. She was sure that Orihime would eventually join her. Hinamori didn't really need her, but it would make things easier. If she was to foil Aizen's plans, she needed all the help she could get, and Orihime certainly was opposed to Aizen, even if she was forced to serve under him. Then again, Orihime was also a friend of those who were in opposition to Hinamori. Would Hinamori be able to maintain control over the girl?

Hinamori groaned, stretching her arms and legs. She had been training long and hard, honing her power and perfecting her ability to use it, but the more she did so, the worse she felt. Her entire body was sore and stiff, and she felt rather sick. She supposed she would have to get used to it. The pain was the price for this new body, this new power. Still, she cursed those who had forced her to this point. She cursed Aizen for manipulating her and setting everything up for her fall. She hated the Gotei 13 for betraying and attempting to execute her. She hated Hitsugaya, who had betrayed her and left her to die. She hated them all so much.

As she lied down, thinking of everything that had occurred, she began to feel tired, and drifted off to sleep.

"_Granny! What's that?" a young Hinamori demanded. Granny knelt down to Hinamori, who was physically about four or five years old, and showed her what was in the blankets she was holding. Hinamori blinked in surprise. A small baby was wrapped in the blankets. His eyes were a bright blue-green and his hair was white as snow._

"_A baby?" Hinamori asked in confusion, "Where did he come from?"_

"_He showed up here earlier. He must have just come to Soul Society," Granny explained, "His name is Toushiro Hitsugaya."_

"_Why is he here?" Hinamori asked._

"_I've decided to take him in. The poor thing has nowhere else to go," Granny said._

"_But…you already have me," Hinamori said._

"_Don't be jealous, I still love you dearly, but he needs our help now, just as you needed help when I first found you. I want you to treat him nicely, like you would a baby brother," Granny said. Hinamori paused for a moment but nodded._

"_Okay, I'll be nice to him," she said. Granny smiled and walked over to the couch, where a bottle of milk had already been prepared. She sat down with Toushiro and held the bottle up to Toushiro. Hinamori watched as his clumsy hands clutched the sides of the bottle as he drank from it. Hinamori pulled herself up to the couch, sitting next to grannny as she fed the baby Toushiro._

"_Can I hold him?" Hinamori asked. Granny set the bottle down._

"_Okay, but be very careful. Hold him like this," she said, showing Hinamori the proper way to hold him. Granny placed Toushiro into Hinamori's arms. Hinamori held him as she had been instructed as she looked at him. He had a really cute face, and gorgeous eyes and reached his hands out and touched her face, causing Hinamori to giggle._

"_I think I'm going to like you, Toushiro."_

_---_

"_Come on Shiro-chan! Hurry up!"Hinamori said._

"_I'm hurrying! And don't call me Shiro-chan!" Hitsugaya snapped back. They were climbing trees in an apple orchard. The best apples were at the top, so they had to go as high up as they could. Hinamori extended her hand to Hitsugaya as he struggled to climb up, helping him get to the next branch._

_After a few minutes of climbing, they reached the top and began munching on apples._

"_So Shiro-chan, how are they?" Hinamori asked. Hitsugaya thought about it to himself._

"_I dunno," he said, "They're good, but not as good as watermelon."_

"_Well that goes without saying!" Hinamori laughed, ruffling his hair._

_---_

"_Okay Shiro-chan! I'm off to the academy! I'll be back to visit whenever I can!"_

"_Don't call me Shiro-chan! And you can stay there forever as far as I care!"_

"_Oh Shiro-chan, you're so silly!"_

"_I said not to call me that!" Hitsugaya said, causing Hinamori to laugh._

"_When you go to the academy yourself I'll call you by your real name!" she said, running off._

"_Like I'd want to join a dumb Shinigami school. So long, Bedwetter Momo!"_

_---_

"_Stop being so loud Renji, I'm trying to sleep!" Hinamori said from the top bunk of a bunk bed._

"_I'm just going through my stuff for a midnight snack, I'm not being that loud! Besides, if you hadn't burned down your room you'd be able to stay in the girl's dormitory, so don't complain!"_

"_Hey, I was trying out a new Kido spell and it went wrong!" Hinamori retorted._

"_A destructive Kido spell? Try using some common sense next time!"_

"_At least I can actually use it unlike you, you Kido-impotent dummy!"_

"_Why you…"_

"_Be quiet, I'm trying to sleep too," Izuru said from a sleeping bag on the floor, "Hinamori, I let you use my bunk, so try not to complain. And Renji, stop being so loud and get some sleep!"_

"_Yes Izuru," Renji and Hinamori said together._

_---_

"_I can't believe it, we're finally Shinigami!" Renji said excitedly._

"_I know, complete with uniforms!" Hinamori said, doing a pose to show off her new Shinigami robes._

"_And we were all placed in the same division, talk about lucky!" Izuru said._

"_Yeah, and it's Captain Aizen's division! I'm going to work as hard as I can for him!"_

"_Me too!" Izuru declared._

"_I will too!" Renji said._

"_What's so great about him? He's just a Captain," Hitsugaya said. Hinamori turned in Shock._

"_Just a captain? Hey, you may have turned out a prodigy, but that doesn't mean you know everything!" Hinamori said._

"_Captain Aizen is a great man and a respected leader," Izuru explained, "You really have to see him to understand how amazing he is."_

"_Not to mention he saved us all during our first year!" Hinamori added._

"_You've already tole me that a thousand times," Hitsugaya grumbled, "I don't see what's so great about being a Shinigami at all._

"_Don't worry Toushiro, I'm sure you'll like it after you've been here a while!"_

_---_

"_Congratulations Momo!"_

"_Good work Momo!"_

"_Knew you could do it Momo!"_

_Momo sat at a bar, where her friends had taken her to celebrate her promotion to Vice-captain of Fifth Division. Renji, Izuru, Matsumoto, and Nanao were all there._

"_You know what this means? You're the first of us three to reach Vice-captain!" Izuru said._

"_Yeah, congrats!" Renji said._

"_Wasn't Hitsugaya going to come here too?" Nanao asked._

"_Toushiro's too young to drink," Hinamori said, "To be honest, I'm not sure I'm old enough to drink either."_

"_Nonsense!" Matsumoto delcared, holding up a cup of sake into Hinamori's face, "Just drink this as fast as you can and you'll do fine!"_

"_I know how to drink, I'm just saying that I'm not sure if-" Matsumoto tilted the cup into Hinamori's open mouth, causing her to swallow a big gulp of it._

"_Hey, you shouldn't do that," Nanao said._

"_Oh, don't be such a spoil-sport, here, you have some too!" Matsumoto said, pushing a drink onto Nanao before taking a long drink from her own cup. Soon all five of them were quite drunk. They were laughing and singing as they drank. Hinamori stood on a table and began to dance, only to fall off. Matsumoto caught her, helping her to her feet._

"_I think we should go now. Come on Nanao, we'll take her home," Nanao followed after her, an uncharacteristc drunken smile on her face._

"_Should we come with you?" Izuru asked, swaying slightly._

"_No, vice-captains only!" Matsumoto laughed._

_The next morning Hinamori woke up with a pounding headache. She realized that she was wearing only her undergarments._

"_Ugh, what happened," she said, straining her memories._

"_I don't, know, I can't remember anything." Hinamori immediately sat upright, and saw that Matsumoto and Nanao were both sprawled across the bed, wearing only their undergarments. They soon woke up, sitting up quickly, their eyes wide._

"_Did we…"_

"_I don't know, I can't remember! I can't remember anything!" Hinamori said in a panic._

"_What happened after we walked off last night? I can't remember?" Nanao said in shock._

"_We must have taken Momo back here and…and…"_

"_No, we don't know that!" Nanao said._

"_Yeah, we probably just took her home and fell asleep afterwards," Matsumoto said._

"_We were pretty tired after all, we probably wouldn't have been able to do anything like that…" Hinamori said._

"_Yes, we just came here late at night and were too tired to go back to our own places. Feeling hot, we took off our robes and fell asleep. That's all that happened, agreed?"_

"_Agreed," they said together._

"_Good, now no one ever mention this ever again."_

_---_

"_Congratulations Toushiro, you're a captain now! Just like Captain Aizen!" Hinamori said excitedly._

"_Shouldn't you be calling me Captain Hitsugaya then?" Hitsugaya said._

"_No, I don't see why I would need to. We're friends after all!"_

"_I suppose I could let you call me by my name in private, but in public you have to refer to me as Captain Hitsugaya!"_

"_Now now Toushiro! You wouldn't want me to have to start calling you Shiro-chan again, would you?" Hinamori said. Hitsugaya turned red at the mention of that embarassing old nickname._

"_That depends. Would you like to be Bedwetter Momo again?" he said._

"_Hey, I got over that problem a long time ago!" Hinamori said defensively._

"_Well you promised to stop calling me Shiro-chan a long time ago," he said._

"_Fine, I won't call you Shiro-chan," Hinamori said, "But only on one condtion."_

"_What is that?" Toushiro asked._

"_Tickle fight!" Hinamori yelled, tackling Hitsugaya and tickling him._

_---_

Hinamori opened her eyes and groaned. She had been having these dreams for some time, and she could not stop no matter how hard she tried. She didn't want to think about those days when she was so weak and pathetic. Was it not enough that her body was in near constant pain? Why did she have to constantly be reminded of her former life? Why did she have to constantly see herself alongside the people she now despised? Was it guilt for betraying them? _No_, she reminded herself, she hadn't betrayed them, they betrayed her! But what was this strange, horrible feeling?

She couldn't stand it! She couldn't stand thinking of them any longer! She would eradicate them, wipe them out of existence! Then she would no longer have to think any longer about them.

* * *

Toushiro sighed as he stared up at the stars. He remembered how he and Hinamori used to watch the stars when they were children. That was a different time, when they were different people. He missed those days, they were so much happier than this life.

He couldn't believe what Hinamori had done. She had betrayed Seireitei, abandoned her humanity, killed countless Shinigami including her loyal subordinate Nelani, overthrown the Gotei 13, imprison him and other Shinigami, and likely done even more horrible acts. Yet despite all of that, Toushiro found himself unable to hate her.

She had done terrible things, unforgivable things. Yet he couldn't bring himself to hate her. He didn't know why. After what she had done, she deserved to be hated and reviled, but he couldn't bring himself to actually feel that way towards her. He knew he was letting his emotions get the best of him, and that he would eventually have to face her, but he simply couldn't hate her.

He thought back to the killed Shinigami from earlier. Did Hinamori have a part in that? Was she involved in the creation of the monsters that had been plaguing them? Or was it Aizen? Aizen...that monster was the one who truly killed Hinamori. He manipulated her and warped her into something she was not. It was his fault, he had caused this tragedy to occur. He Toushiro could hate; he Toushiro could despise. He who had taken Hinamori from him and turned her into a monster. Toushiro would not forgive him for that. He would make Aizen pay for what he had done.

* * *

Tsuzumi Ikuzu ran for her life through the dark forest. She had managed to escape Seireitei when it had fallen, and was staying in Rukongai with several other Shinigami. Then, earlier that night, she had awoken to find the other Shinigami being killed by a horrible beast. Now she ran for her life, terror flooding her body. She had watched the beast killing her friends, and could do nothing but flee.

It ran stealthily behind her, its paws barely making a sound as it chased after her. She had not seen the creature in its entirety, but Tsuzumi knew that it was large and ferocious. She suddenly tripped over a log, causing her to stumble and lose her footing. Moments later, huge claws raked her back, badly slashing her. She drew her sword as her back bled. She swung wildly at the beast, panicking as she attempted to back away from it.

Suddenly a powerful tail struck her, knocking the wind out of her and sending her staggering back. She raised her sword, prepared to fight to the last breath. The monstrosity opened its huge jaws and released a loud wail. Tsuzumi suddenly felt dizzy, and staggered backwards against a large tree, collapsing to the ground. She lifted a hand to her ears, and felt her warm blood trickling down the side of her head. She closed her eyes and lost consciousness as the creature approached her body.


	33. Chapter 32

Darkness

_Chapter 32_

"We found another one!" Kiyone shouted. All present groaned. It had been several weeks since the killings began, and in that time several dozen Shinigami had been killed. Bodies of Shinigami kept turning up, torn to shreds by an unknown beast. The creatures attacking the Shinigami were clearly related to the weaker ones that had been attacking before, but they were far more effective than the weak creatures previously attacking them. None had survived to report on the beasts performing the killings, and panic had settled over all Shinigami. This crisis had effectively overshadowed all efforts to plan a way to counter Aizen.

"What are we going to do?" Rukia asked, "At this rate, all of the Shinigami hiding out here will be killed!"

"We don't know what we're up against, which certainly complicates things," Toushiro Hitsugaya commented.

"Well…I didn't want to have to say this, but I think that we should send someone to investigate," Ukitake said.

"With Aizen and his minions in firm control of Seireitei, such a mission would be a death trap," Kyouraku commented.

"It's the only choice we have. Whatever these things are, they clearly are linked to Aizen. We need to figure out a way to defeat them, and to do thtat we need to figure out exactly what they are. It will be dangerous, but it's the only way," Ukitake said.

"I'll do it," Ichigo immediately volunteered.

"This mission requires stealth and care, something which you are by no means adept at,"Byakuya noted, "Your reiatsu would not go unnoticed, and given your temperament, it is doubtful that you would be able to quietly enter and exit."

"Shall I go?" Rukia asked. Ukitake was about to answer but Byakuya cut him off.

"I won't allow that. Such a mission would be far too dangerous for you to perform alone," he said.

"But Nee-sama, I am adept at concealing my reiatsu, they wouldn't notice me! I'm the best person for this task," Rukia reasoned.

"That is true," Ukitake commented, "Not to mention the fact that she has proven herself a skilled Shinigami and a level-headed individual."

"No, she cannot perform such a task alone, I forbid it," Byakuya said stubbornly.

"What if I accompanied her?" Matsumoto asked, "Two people would be better than one for this task anyways."

"In that case, I will go as well," Toushiro said.

"No. That won't work," Ukitake said sternly.

"What? Why?" Toushiro asked.

"You know who will be there won't you? Your friend, Momo Hinamori. She has known you since you were both young, and could detect your reiatsu no matter how well you hid it. If you two were to come face to face, would you be able to fight her?"

"Perhaps he subconciously hopes to encounter her," Kyouraku suggested, "He still hopes to turn her to his side."

"Such a move is unthinkable now," Byakuya said, "I will allow Rukia to go if Vice-captain Matsumoto accompanies her, but Captain Hitsugaya would be a risk to all involved."

"But…"

"It's for the best," Ukitake said. His tone made it clear that there would be no more debate. Toushiro sighed.

"Very well. Matsumoto, you and Rukia are to inflitrate Seireitei unnoticed and obtain as much information as you can. Be careful and don't take any chances," Toushiro said, "Avoid combat at all costs. Get in, perform the task, and get out. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain," Matsumoto said. Toushiro nodded.

"Very well then, good luck."

----

Momo Hinamori was extremely pleased with herself. Rei'Djin was nearly completed, with all the difficult work taken care of, allowing her to focus on the Harvester. Now, it was complete, as was the Ourukaimon. Aizen's path to the Spirit King was now wide open, with no other obstacles in the way.

All that remained was to test the power of the harvester. Surrounding her were Mayuri, Nemu, and several scientists to operate the machinery. The building they were in was essentially a bunker, reinforced with material resistant to both reiatsu and physical force. There were no windows, but there were numerous viewing screens which displayed numerous angles of the surroundings as viewed by recording devices all around the building. Of particular focus was a tall tower atop the building. It resembled the lattice-style towers used to transmit radio waves. At the top, suspended in mid air between four curved extensions was the harvester. It was a strange device, looking like a spherical cage made of thick pieces of metal. Inside, at the very center, was a bright glowpoint. Surrounding the glowpoint was a strange gaseous substance that swirled around inside and emitted a purple glow.

A door opened behind Hinamori, and several people stepped in. Hinamori didn't bother turning, she knew who it was.

"So you decided to come," she said.

"You ordered me to come, Captain-Commander Hinamori," Isane Kotetsu said. Hinamori managed to resist the urge to grin. Isane was completely under her control, and she knew it. It hadn't taken much to force Isane to her side. With Unohana dead, it was up to her to protect the Fourth Division, and the only way for her to do that was to cooperate. Hinamori essentially held the entire Fourth Division hostage, and as long as that was the case Isane would do whatever she commanded.

"I see you came as well, Ulquiorra," Hinamori said, finally turning to look at the two people behind her. Isane was pale and sad looking, as was to be expected of somebone who had been forced to aid the enemy for the safety of her subordinates. Ulquiorra was…pale and sad looking, but then again, he always looked like that.

"Aizen-sama has put great faith in your ability to produce this device. I must monitor its success before Aizen-sama comes to make use of it," Ulquiorra said in his emotionless tone.

"Yes, that is true. I am sure that Aizen-sama will greatly appreciate this magnificent device. With the harvester powering the Ourukaimon, he will be able to travel to the Spirit King's dimension without needing the King's Key," Hinamori explained.

"A useful invention indeed. When will it be ready to test?"

"In a little over an hour. We need to ensure that everything is perfectly in place before activating it," Hinamori explained, "It would be a shame if the entire project were derailed due to hastiness."

Ulquiorra nodded, quietly observing as the technicians worked on readying the device. Hinamori grinned; she was so close to her goals, she could almost taste it.

---

Rukia silently motioned for Matsumoto to follow her. They were now inside seireitei. Entering was simple, as there were still large gaps in the wall surrounding Seireitei from the invasion. Now however they had to sneak around Seireitei without being noticed, a difficult task. Rukia and Matsumoto hurriedly scurried across a street into a half destroyed building.

"Where are we going?" Matsumoto asked. Rukia leant down, running her hand along the floor. She stopped after a moment, and lifted away a slab of the floor.

"The sewer system. Ichigo used this as a way to travel through Seireitei while rescuing me. From here, we can go to any point within Seireitei," Rukia explained.

"Amazing," Matsumoto commented, "It looks like it was a good idea for you to come after all!"

"You say that like it wouldn't have been a good idea otherwise," Rukia said with a small smile.

"How do we navigate?" Matsumoto asked.

"The sewer layout roughly corresponds with the streets. We just need to navigate by memory of the street system. It will take a little while, but it's the safest option for us at this time."

"If you say so," Matsumoto said apprehensively, following her as they began to walk through the sewers.

---

It was ready. Hinamori, Ulquiorra, Mayuri, Nemu, and Isane watched the screens, as the scientists and technicians worked feverishly at the controls. In the center of the room, extending from the ceiling and the floor, were two extensions, each emmitting strange lights and beeping sounds.

"Begin," Hinamori ordered. The entire building shook as the machine engaged. A thin, silvery beam extended from each of the two extensions, connecting with eachother.

Outside the building, the the harvester atop the tower began to rotate. The glowpoint at the center became as bright as the sun itself. Pulses of purple light were emmitted, making the air for a hundred kilometers around turn a strange purplish hue. The sphere of energy grew bigger and bigger. Suddenly, all the light in the air collapsed back in on the harvester. The glowpoint in the center remained still for a moment.

Then, with the radiance of a thousand suns, the energy was unleashed upon the surrounding land. A massive shockwave of energy was released, consuming all in its path. The ground shook, and a mighty roar filled the sky. All life within the sphere of destruction was obliterated in an instant. This was the purpose of the harvester, to harvest the life of every living being within a certain radius. The terrible device sucked out the live of people, animals, and even plants, using the energy as fuel.

In an instant, it was over. Inside the building, the thin silver beam had widened, opening up a portal to another world. The Ourukaimon, the path to the Spirit King, had been opened.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but to make up for it, next chapter will answer a lot of questions, namely Hinamori's true motivations and goals. Please review!


	34. Chapter 33

Darkness

_Chapter 33_

Throughout all of Soul Society, the shockwave of the blast could be felt and the roar heard. The ground shook, and the bright flash of light could be seen from hundreds of kilometers away. Within the massive sphere of light, all life was converted into energy. Fear and terror overwhelmed all who witnessed it. When the energy collapsed back to the center, all that was left were the pitiful remains. Grassy fields had been turned into barren stretches of dirt, villages once full of people had vanished, trees were reduced to lifeless pieces of wood, sucked of all life. All had been destroyed, consumed by the power of the Harvester.

---

The ground shook as Rukia and Matsumoto staggered. They crouched down and grabbed onto the walls to steady themselves as the powerful shaking rocked the sewer system. Cracks were forming on the walls, with debris falling from the ceiling. The place felt like it would collapse. The shaking continued for several minutes before stopping as abruptly as it began.

Rukia and Matsumoto shakily stood back up, their hearts pounding.

"What the hell was that?" Rukia asked, shocked and confused by what had just happened.

"I don't know…I don't know," Matsumoto said, "We've never had earthquakes in Soul Society, it must have been something artificial."

"But what? Did a building collapse above us?"

"I don't know. It's possible. A lot of buildings were damaged when Seireitei was conquered. The structural instability made a lot of these buildings prone to collapse. If that were the case, it would be more strongly felt underground, so it would make sense…"

"Should we check it out?" Rukia asked. Matsumoto was quiet for a moment before answering.

"No, we'll continue our plan to investigate the research area. Now let's hurry, I have a bad feeling about this."

---

They kept the Ourukaimon, the gate to the dimension holding the spirit king, open for several minutes, conducting analysis and tests on it. When they had confirmed that they had indeed created a connection to the other dimension, it was closed, lest the royal guard become aware of their plans.

"It would appear that this project was a complete success," Mayuri announced, "The connection we made has the capacity of being held open for up to 4.7 hours, more than enough time to assassinate the royal family."

"And the Harvester?" Hinamori inquired.

"It has harvested the souls of 1.13 million individuals along with all plant and animal matter. The radius of destruction was 108 kilometers, with a total area of 36,643.54 square kilometers reaped of life energy."

Hinamori grinned, extremely satisfied with the performance. She turned to Ulquiorra.

"So, do you think that Aizen-sama will be pleased?" she asked.

"Aizen-sama will certainly appreciate this device. The Hougokyu has become erratic in its performance, and can no longer be relied upon. He is no doubt grateful to have you in his service," Ulquirorra said.

"And what about you Isane? What do you think of the performance of the harvester."

"It is certainly a terrifying weapon," she said slowly, clearly frightened and appalled by the demonstration.

"Indeed," Hinamori commented, a malicious look spreading across her face. There was nothing quite like a demonstration of power and capabilities to strike fear into the hearts of underlings. If Isane had any intentions of betraying Hinamori, they were no doubt gone now, driven away by fear for herself and her division.

"I would like to run more tests on the area if we have time," Mayuri said, "Soil analysis and study of debris, if you don't mind of course."

"Unfortunately, no we cannot. We now have a strict schedule we'll need to maintain, and I can't allow any unnecessary actions."

"Schedule?"

"Aizen-sama will no doubt be eager to use this as soon as possible," Hinamori said with a twisted smile, "We wouldn't want to make him wait."

---

"Is this it?"

"I think so."

"But are you sure? I don't want to go up there and end up surrounded by arrancar."

Rukia and Matsumoto stood at the base of a ladder up to the surface. Having walked through the sewers with the layout of Seireitei's streets in mind, they had determined that the research area was likely directly above them. However, due to the difficulty of navigating through the sewers, they were unsure if they were in the right place, and nervous about what may happen if they went up in the wrong place. If they weren't careful, they could end up captured or killed.

They climbed up to the top of the ladder, first Rukia, then Matsumoto. They lifted up the stone plate that was the entrance to the sewer and peaked their heads out.

"Is this the research area?" Rukia whispered.

"I don't know, I can't remember where anything is normally, and now that so many buildings have been damaged, I can't recognize anything," Matsumoto whispered back.

"I thought you said that this was the place," Rukia hissed.

"I said I thought this was the place! Should we go back underground?"

"No, we'd might as well travel above ground now that we're so close," Rukia said, "If we go back, we'll just get lost."

They crawled out and immediately ran to the shelter of a partially abandoned building. They scanned the area before dashing to the next building. Rukia gestured for them to sneak along the wall, but just as they were about to do so, a voice called out to them.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?!"

Rukia and Matsumoto froze and turned around slowly. Behind them were two skull-faced arrancar.

"Hey, I asked you a question! What are you doing here? What division are you from?"

"Answer us! Aizen-sama has allowed you Shinigami to live in exchange for serving him, but all you people seem to do is goof off!" the other arrancar said.

Thinking quickly, Rukia cleared her throat and faced the two arrancar.

"We're from Division Four, currently on clean-up duty. There is still a significant amount of rubble to be cleared up before the area is suitable for Aizen-sama," she said.

"Oh…yes, I suppose so," the arrancar said, "Very well, carry on, though next time be sure to inform the local guards before beginning such a task."

"Very well, thank you," Rukia said.

"Oh, and one more thing," the arrancar said, "Tell your partner to get a new uniform, that one doesn't comply with the dress code." Matsumoto looked down and blushed, becoming very conscious of the fact that she had worn the same clothes for over a month, and that they had become rather worn and exposed even more of her breasts than usual. She grimaced and nodded, signaling her understanding.

The two arrancar turned and disappeared with Sonido. Rukia and Matsumoto breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was quick thinking," Matsumoto commented.

"Yeah, but I don't think it will work again, so stay alert for enemy guards," Rukia said.

"Hey look," Matsumoto said, pointing up to the top of the building across the street. It bore the symbol of the Eleventh Division.

"I guess we were pretty close to the research area," Rukia said. They began to walk forward when suddenly, over a patch of wooden planks, the ground collapsed beneath them. They fell down into the darkness, hitting the ground with a thud. They shakily stood up, looking up to where they fell through. It seemed that wood had been placed over the top of this hole for some construction project, but it apparently wasn't strong enough to walk on.

"What the hell is this place?" Rukia asked, rubbing her side.

"I don't…oh shit," Matsumoto cursed, "This must be the old execution pit."

"What?"

"It's where they used to execute people by pitting them against hollows. The walls are made of a substance that repels reiatsu. Our Shinigami powers are useless here," Matsumoto explained.

"What are we going to do?" Rukia asked in a panic, "It's only a matter of time until they find us!"

"Don't panic, I have an idea. Feel along the wall to see if there are any creases or cracks we can use to climb up," Matsumoto said.

They began feeling along the wall in the darkness. The walls were smooth, and they could barely see a thing. After groping around in the darkness for several minutes, Rukia called to Matsumoto on the other side of the pit.

"I've found something!" she called. Matsumoto stumbled over to where she was standing. She extended her hands to feel the wall where Rukia was. Running her hand over the smooth stone, she felt a small indentation in the wall. Running her hand along it, she realized that it formed some sort of opening.

"Rukia, push on it. Push as hard as you can!" Matsumoto instructed. They began pushing against the wall. They put all of their weight against it, pushing as hard as they could until finally they heard a small click. With the sound of rock sliding against rock, the section outlined by the crease in the wall began to sink back into the wall, revealing a small passageway. Glancing nervously at eachother, they got on their hands and knees and crawled into the darkened passage, unsure of what they would encounter.

---

"Kukanten'i!"

In an instant, the building and all of its inhabitants was transported from Rukongai to the heart of Seireitei. Hinamori had used the forbidden Spacial Displacement spell to perform the feat. Her skills were growing by the day, to the point that she could now use forbidden Kido spells with ease.

All who were present dispersed, leaving the building for their designated areas. Hinamori, Isane, Mayuri, and Nemu went off toward what had previously been the first division meeting grounds, with Ulquiorra going in the opposite direction.

When they arrived, Stark was sleeping in the command chair. Lilinette, standing next to him, reached over and twisted his ear, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Wake up, they're back," she said.

"You could have just tapped me on the shoulder!" Stark said indignantly.

"You wouldn't have woken up as quickly then!"

"Why you-"

"Enough of this," Hinamori said, "I assume that all went well in the time I left you in control?"

"Yeah, but that test you did caused some big tremors and a few buildings were knocked down and some prisoners escaped. Oh, and there are some intruders too. No biggy."

"No biggy?!!" Hinamori yelled, "Intruders? Escaped prisoners? Why didn't you deal with this?"

"They won't cause any harm, they're just snooping around. Not enough to get upset about."

"You idiot, they're probably spying on us!" Hinamori shrieked, "Where are they now?"

"Um, I think they're in the twelfth division area." Hinamori shook in rage for a moment before suddenly clearing her face of all emotion.

"Fine, it's just as well. Mayuri, you continue with the analysis of the harvester's effects. Nemu, Isane, come with me. We're going to perform the final test of Project Rei'Djin."

---

"What is this place?" Matsumoto gasped.

"I don't know…I don't know…" Rukia said in shock.

After crawling through the small passage, they had emerged in a darkened room full of strange machinery and tanks of greenish fluid with creatures suspended within. Some of the tanks held partially grown creatures, with others being fully grown. Smaller tanks held underdeveloped creatures. They looked like some sort of predatory animal, but were nothing like anything they had seen before. They had massive jaws and were covered in both scales and ragged patches of fur. They were at once both reptillian and mammallian. On the other side of the room were tanks containing dead creatures apparently preserved. They were different from those being grown in the tanks. They resembled everything from birds to reptiles to supernatural beasts.

"This is…"

"Yeah, these are the things that have been attacking us," Matsumoto said, "It looks like we know where they came from now."

"Let's get out of here, this place gives me the creeps," Rukia said.

"No, we need to gather more information," Matsumoto said, "Look around for some written documents that might give a hint as to what this is all about."

They searched around, but did not find anything except for machinery and more of the tanks growing the creatures.

"Let's try the next room," Rukia suggested. They walked over to a door, opening it and walking into the adjacent room. It was dark and quiet. Suddenly, the door behind them slammed shut and a number of lights suddenly turned on, revealing the place to ba a massive room full of wooden crates. At the opposite end, near the ceiling, was what appeared to be an observation deck, with several figures looking on through a window.

"Welcome Rukia Kuchiki, Rangiku Matsumoto," a voice said through speakers.

"This voice…"

"Hinamori!" Matsumoto gasped.

"I'm glad that you came, we were in need of stronger test subjects, ones that can properly test the strength of Rei'Djin," Hinamori said.

"Hinamori, I don't know what you're thinking, but you have to stop this!" Matsumoto yelled, "Aizen doesn't care about you, he's just using you for his own gain! Stop this madness!"

"Silence!" Hinamori yelled, "I will hear no more from the likes of you! As of now, you are merely test subjects," Hinamori said. With a long, drawn out creak, a sliding door lifted up on the opposite side of the room. Two creatures like the ones in the tanks walked out.

"Let the experiment begin," Hinamori announced in sadistic glee.

Matsumoto and Rukia immediately drew their zanpakuto.

"What on earth are these things?" Rukia asked.

"I don't know, I've never seen anything like them," Matsumoto said, gripping her zanpakuto tightly as the creatures advanced.

They were big, even larger than the ones in the tanks from earlier. Everything about them was unnatural. Their bodies were long and powerful like a tiger, but the heads were like those of dragons, with massive tooth-filled jaws and small eyes perched atop their heads. They had patches of fur on their front limbs and shoulders, but the rest of their bodies were covered in brown scales. Their front limbs ended in razor sharp claws on reptillian feet. They had long tails that swayed from side to side as they walked. They were truly terrifying creatures.

The frightening creatures split up, one walking off to the left, the other to the right as they stalked forward.

"They're trying to encircle us," Matsumoto muttered. Rukia raised her finger towards the nearest creature.

"Hado number four, Byakurai!" A concentrated lightning blast shot from her finger. The advancing creature leapt into the air towards Rukia, avoiding the blast and attacking at the same time. Rukia immediately leapt back, just as the creature's claws slashed where she had just been. She faced the creature as its mouth snapped at her, holding her sword up defensively. It snapped its jaws menacingly, taking a few steps forward, with Rukia backing away at the same rate.

Matsumoto was in a similar predicament. The creature in front of her was slowly advancing on her, its gaping maw open to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. She considered using her Shikai, but if it didn't work she would have nothing to defend herself with. The creature's tail, longer than its body, swung forward, hitting the ground at her feet like a whip. Matsumoto backed up further, her sword raised. Suddenly, the beast lunged at her, its tooth-filled mouth open and razor sharp claws extended. Matsumoto jumped to the side, barely avoiding the attack. She brought her sword down on the creature, slashing at its side.

The sword didn't even make a scratch. Panicking, Matsumoto quickly leapt away, but not before the tail whipped forward, lashing her across her left arm. Almost immediately the arm began to feel numb. Looking at where the tail had struck, she saw that a red rash had appeared. Hinamori laughed from the observation point above.

"Do you like them? They were created according to my personal desire. This is the end result of Rei'Djin. I was actually quite concerned that the project would be a failure. We tried 778 different models, of which there were thousands of individuals cloned. Most were utter failures, dying within days due to faulty genetics or cellular decomposition brought forth by the cloning process. One, however, was more perfect than we could have ever imagined. Scales resistant to the blows of a sword. The abiliy to withstand extreme cold and heat. A tail coated in microscopic bristles containing paralyzing toxins. A cold cunning. Claws coated in deadly neurotoxins. Senses beyond any other creature on Earth. Jaws full of deadly bacterial toxins. The strength and speed to take down any individual. I call them Voornx, and they were made for one purpose: to kill Shinigami."

Matsumoto clenched her fist. It felt stiff from the toxins in the tail, but the paralyzing agent didn't seem to be spreading. She knew that she would have to fight the creature that Hinamori called Voornx, and it looked like it wasn't going to be easy. She held her sword in front of her, ready to defend herself from the creature. She slashed the sword forward, but the creature moved its head to the side, avoiding the strike and continuing its advance. Suddenly an idea struck her.

"Kyako, curving light," she muttered. Matsumoto vanished, invisible to the eye. From above, Hinamori scoffed.

"That is the stupidest thing you can do. The Voornx can instinctively sense a shinigami's reiatsu. In fact, your hiding yourself this way will only invite its most devastating attack."

Disturbed by Hinamori's words, Matsumoto decided to be careful, backing away slowly. The creature couldn't see her, and if if she did the Kido spell right, it couldn't sense her either, regardless of what Hinamori said. Suddenly however, the Voornx turned its ugly head to face Matsumoto.

It opened its mouth and let out a piercing shriek. Matsumoto suddenly felt nauseous and nearly collapsed. She shakily stood, swaying with dizziness. The Voornx had apparently used some sort of sonic blast to target her inner-ear. She was lucky that she hadn't been standing closer to the creature, but now she could barely stand and felt nauseous and dizzy. She realized that the Kido spell she had used to cloak herself was now gone, and the Voornx was rapidly approaching her. It appeared that she would have to take a risk and use her zanpakuto. She had avoided it, fearing that she would be unable to defend herself with her zanpakuto released, but it now appeared that if she did not she would surely die. The Voornx lunged towards her, its mouth open and claws extended.

"Growl, Haineko!" Matsumotos said. Her Zanpakuto turned to ash, which Matsumoto immediately directed towards the creature's face. The ash covered its face and went into its mouth and throat. With a flick of her wrist, the ash covering the beast cut its face, mouth, and throat up. The Voornx gave a roar of pain, staggering around for a moment before collapsing onto its side. Almost feeling sorry for the beast, Matsumoto returned her zanpakuto to its normal state, went to the creatures side, and gave a swift stab to its underbelly. The creature shuddered and let out a hiss before becoming still.

Rukia meanwhile was struggling greatly with the Voornx she was fighting. It was clear that she was no match for the beast. Its snapping jaws, slashing claws, and whipping tail were all used to fight her. Her blade was no good for cutting, as the thick scales covering most of its body protected it. Its attacks were relentless, giving her no chance to use her zanpakuto's ability.

The creature whipped its tail at her feet, attempting to set her off balance, but Rukia stayed up, careful to maintain her distance. The creature cirled around her, snapping its jaws threateningly and swinging its long tail from side to side. The Voornx opened its mouth. Remembering what had happened earlier to Matsumoto, she immediately covered her ears. Instead of releasing a sonic screech however, the beast lunged at her while her hands were covering her ears. Immediately realizing her mistake, she attempted to dodge, but the creatures claws raked her back, slashing to the bone.

Rukia collapsed, the wounds on her back bleeding badly. She couldn't believe that the Voornx had done something so cold and cunning. It evidently had some degree of intelligence to have tricked her like that. She recalled what Hinamori had said earlier, that the creature's claws were covered in deadly poison. She gritted her teeth and stood up, wincing at the feeling of air touching the exposed bones. She wouldn't let the monstrous beast win. She raised her zanpakuto.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" she said. The creature immediately lunged at her, preparing to finish her off. Rukia had other plans however. "Second dance!" A blast of ice came from her zanpakuto, engulfing the Voornx and freezing it solid within ice. Breathing heavily, she collapsed to the ground, overcome by the poison.

Hinamori immediately leapt down from the observation platform.

"Isane, Nemu, restrain Rukia Kuchiki and give her basic treatment to keep her alive for interrogation. I'll take care of the other," Hinamori said, drawing her sword. Isane and Nemu went to Rukia, who was by now almost unconcious.

"Vice-captain Kotetsu…why? I always respected you and Vice-captain Hinamori so much, why are you doing this?" Rukia asked as Isane approached.

"I can't tell you," Isane said, applying antiseptic to the wound on Rukia's back. Nemu held Rukia up, careful to restrain her in case she resisted. They glanced at Hinamori as she went to fight Matsumoto.

"I am surprised that you were able to defeat the Voornx," Hinamori said, "But I'm afraid you will not get out of this alive."

"Why are you doing this?" Matsumoto asked.

"I have my reasons," Hinamori said, holding her sword up. Matsumoto, beginning to regain feeling in her left hand, used both hands to tightly grip her sword as Hinamori stood in front of her.

"Was it something Aizen told you? I don't know what he said to convince you to do this, but he's just using you! He doesn't care about you or anyone else! You're being manipulated!"

"You're wrong, I'm doing this on my own accord," Hinamori said, "I started Rei'Djin and created the Voornx on my own. Aizen had nothing to do with it, and is not even aware of it."

"But why? Why are you doing this when your friends-"

"Friends?" Hinamori scoffed, "I have no friends! When Aizen was using and manipulating me, where were these 'friends'? When I was about to be executed, where were you? You stood by and let me suffer! And before that, you all weakened me, making me think that I could depend on friends, making me weak so that when those things happened I wasn't able to help myself! Its all your fault! I hate you! I hate Aizen! I hate Hitsugaya! I hate Kira! I hate every single one of you!" Hinamori yelled.

"What about Nelani?" Matsumoto said, clenching her teeth, "That girl looked up to you, and did everything she could to help you. Yet despite her devotion and love, you cruelly murdered her."

"She was a reminder of everything about my old self that I hated. Weak, emotionally dependent, and stupid. I killed her so that the last traces of my weak old self would be swept away."

"Why are you doing all of this? What are you planning?" Matsumoto yelled, "For what did you betray Seireitei and kill Nelani?" Hinamori grinned.

"You really want to know? Fine," Hinamori said, "Those scientists that escaped probably told you about the Harvester and Ourukaimon, but I doubt they were able to tell you their function. The Ourukaimon is the gate to the realm of the Spirit King, and the Harvester is the power source. The Harvester is able to absorb all life energy within a certain area, using hundreds of thousands of lives to open the Ourukaimon."

"So you're planning on killing so many people just to help Aizen kill the Spirit King?" Matsumoto asked.

"Didn't you hear me before? I hate Aizen just as much as I hate you and the others. The man used me and threw me aside after molding me into a pathetic creature that couldn't live without him. I wouldn't let him get away with such a thing. Aizen can kill the Spirit King if he likes, but that won't do him much good if I close the portal after he's inside."

"So you plan to betray him and trap him inside?" Matsumoto asked, the slightest hint of a smile on her face, "Are you certain you're not on our side?"

"No, I'm not on your side. Tell me Matsumoto, why were the Quincies eradicated?" Hinamori asked.

"Because by utterly destroying hollows instead of purifying them with a zanpakuto, they threw off the natural balance, threatening to destroy both worlds."

"Yes, that is true. The Shinigami maintain the balance between the World of the Living and Soul Society. They perform Konso and slay hollows to keep a steady number of souls in each dimension, maintaining the balance. But what if there were no Shinigami or Hollows?"

"What are you saying?" Matsumoto asked.

"After Aizen and his top Espada are trapped in the Spirit King's dimension, I will begin mass-cloning of Voornx. With my current resources, I have the capacity to produce one million individuals. Each one of them instinctively hunt anything with above average Reiatsu, including Shinigami, Hollow, and any human souls with unusually high reiatsu. You may have defeated two of them, but if there were hundreds stalking you each day, how long would you last? The Shinigami and Hollow will both be rendered extinct, and the current natural order stopped."

"You're mad," Matsumoto whispered, "You're completely mad. You intend to destroy the foundation of the universe itself?"

"No, there is another way," Hinamori explained, "Whenever there are too many souls on one side or the other, I will use the harvester to erase the excess. With no Shinigami, no Hollow, and any other similar beings killed, I alone will reign supreme!"

"Hinamori, I can't let you get away with this," Matsumoto said, "I'll stop you, even if it means killing you."

"If you can that is," Hinamori said coldly, raising her sword to attack.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Thank you to Merciless Ruby, Assault Godzilla, Full Shadow Alchemist, DW64, Dwellin, Instant Classic Superstar, Animelover24271, Fourpeg, and Momo21 for reviewing! Please review!


	35. Chapter 34

Darkness

_Chapter 34_

Hinamori brough her sword down in a powerful slash. Matsumoto brought her zanpakuto up to block. Her left hand was still a little numb from earlier, but she was still able to maintain enough of a grip to hold off the strike. They glared into eachother's eyes as they clashed blades. Looking directly into Hinamori's eyes, Matsumoto knew that the Momo she had known had ceased to exist. Her eyes were a sulfurous yellow filled with hate and evil, rather than the warm brown they had once been. Her face was pale and her hair was unkempt and streaked with grey. She was thinner than before, and everything about her lacked the youthful energy she had once had.

"That sword," Matsumoto said as their blades were locked, "It's not Tobiume, it's not even a zanpakuto." Hinamori gave a twisted grin.

"Zanpakuto are like everything else in this world, if given the chance, they'll betray you," Hinamori said, "Tobiume refused to cooperate with me, so I killed her and took up a sword forged with my reiatsu."

"You've become a sick person, killing your own zanpakuto," Matsumoto said.

"If it can think, it can betray you. You helped teach me that as well," Hinamori said, forcing Matsumoto's blade aside and slashing at Matsumoto's side. Dodging it, Matsumoto aimed a cut at Hinamori, only for her to easily parry it. They continued clashing blades, the former friends fighting with full intent to kill one another. Hinamori was clearly stronger than Matsumoto, but as the fight dragged on, Matsumoto noticed that Hinamori's movements were becoming more reckless and that she was leaving more openings.

Taking a chance, Matsumoto thrust her sword forward just as Hinamori's was drawn back. Hinamori did her best to dodge, but the strike grazed her side, giving her a deep wound. Glaring at Matsumoto, Hinamori gave a yell of rage and began relentlessly attacking, becoming much more aggressive than before. The sword blows were becoming fiercer and more intense, and Matsumoto began to be beaten back.

"This is the end for you!" Hinamori yelled, raising her sword and aiming a powerful slash at Matsumoto's midsection.

Matsumoto barely dodged the strike, with the slash cutting through her robes, but was able to use the oportunity to her advantage. In the split second it took Hinamori to follow through with the attempted strike, Matsumoto stepped forward and brought her zanpakuto up to slash at Hinamori's neck. Realizing her mistake, Hinamori could only duck her head forward to minimize the damage as the tip of the blade slashed across the back of her head, knicking the skin and cutting away the cloth holding her hair in a bun.

Hinamori's hair fell down to her shoulders, strands of it that were cut off falling to the floor. Blood trickled down her neck. She immediately twisted around to slash at Matsumoto, her face contorted with rage. She wildly slashed and chopped at Matsumoto, her movements becoming less and less coordinated. She made a powerful slash at Matsumoto. Matsumoto blocked the cut, locking their blades together.

"You aren't nearly as consistently powerful as before, what happened?" Matsumoto asked. Hinamori smirked.

"I don't need my full power to beat the likes of you, I'm only using a small part of my potential."

"So it's true then, that thing you use to push your power to its limits really is causing yourself harm," Matsumoto said, ignoring Hinamori's remark. The smirk dropped off her face, replaced with a scowl.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. I don't need that to beat you," she snarled.

"Don't lie Hinamori, I can tell what's really happening," Matsumoto said, "That power you used before pushes your body to its limits, and gives you much greater power than you could ordinarily use, but it also causes great damage to your body. It eats away at you mentally and physically, until you're eventually completely dependent on it."

"Shut up!" Hinamori screamed, cutting at Matsumoto's head. Matsumoto dodged the strike and performed her own attack, a downwards cut that would have slashed Hinamori from shoulder to stomach if not for Hinamori throwing herself backwards to miss the attack. In doing so however she threw herself off balance, allowing Matsumoto to use her free hand to strike Hinamori in the stomach.

Gasping, Hinamori staggered back, her sword shakily held up as she clutched her stomach.

"You see? That thing you use makes you weaker and mentally unstable so that you are forced to rely upon it more and more until eventually you cannot function without it."

"You…you have no idea what you're talking about!" Hinamori yelled.

"Then why don't you use it?" Matsumoto asked, "You clearly don't want to use it, as you know that the more you use it, the less capable you are to do without it. You're afraid of your own power."

"You fool!" Hinamori screamed, "My power is greater than you can even imagine!" A dark pink aura surrounded Hinamori as the air filled with reiatsu. She held out her right hand, her fist clenched around her sword.

"I will show you the extent of my powers," she whispered, her eyes suddenly changing from the sallow yellow color to a reddish tint. The skin on her wrist began to distort as a black band emerged from within.

"So that's what you've used to give yourself power?" Matsumoto asked.

"It is a tool to better use my own power," Hinamori said, "With it, I am able to reach further than I ever could have dreamed before."

"You're a madwoman," Matsumoto said, holding Haineko tightly.

"Yeah well you're a dead woman!" Hinamori screamed, rushing at Matsumoto.

Matsumoto was barely able to raise her sword in defense when Hinamori's blade came crashing into it. No sooner had she blocked the strike, Hinamori struck again, slashing at Matsumoto's through. Matsumoto bent her head backwards to dodge, but Hinamori's blade cut her across the cheek. Attempting to counter, Matsumoto brought her sword up to attack, only to have Hinamori counter it before she could even attempt to strike, knocking her hand away. Panicking, Matsumoto thrust her sword forward, only for Hinamori to leap into the air and kick her in the face, sending her staggering back.

"You see? You were no match for me," Hinamori said coldly, approaching Matsumoto as she shakily stood to her feel, "Now, you shall die."

As Hinamori brought her sword up to attack however, the wall nearest them suddenly exploded, sending dust and bits of stone flying into the air.

"What?!" Hinamori yelled, covering her eyes. Three figures stood outlined against the dust.

"We've come to assist our comrade in stopping you," a familiar voice said. Recognizing the voice, Hinamori squinted her eyes at the figures as the debris in the air settled.

Standing amidst the clearing dust were Izuru Kira, Tetsuzaemon Iba, and Yachiru Kusajishi.

"You…you guys…" Matsumoto whispered.

"We came to save you," Izuru said.

"We are sorry we were unable to join up with you sooner, but we felt the need to better observe our enemy before engaging them," Iba said.

"But we're here now, so don't worry! Okie-dokie?" Yachiru said in her usual cheerful manner.

"So you three did survive, I am mildly surprised," Hinamori said, "Your presence here will not make a difference though, I'm afraid."

"We have come to stop you Hinamori," Izuru said, "I don't know why you betrayed your friends and allies, but the madness will stop here."

"I think not," Hinamori said dismissively. She raised a hand and snapped her fingers.

Suddenly, Nemu came rushing forward from her previously ignored position of guarding the injured Rukia. She delivered a swift kick to Iba's stomach and punched Izuru in the face, causing them both to stagger back.

"Why are you cooperating with them?" Izuru asked, rubbing his jaw.

"Master Mayuri has pledged his support to Captain-commander Hinamori, and so have I," she said, remaining in a fighting stance.

"Then it seems we have no choice," Izuru said, "Bakuto 61, Six Rods of Prison Light!" Six rods of light immediately slammed into Nemu, completely immobilizing her. He then turned to Yachiru.

"You stay here and guard her, okay? If necessary, you can be our back-up," he said.

"Aww, that's kind of boring, but okay!" Yachiru said.

"What about you, Isane? Will you also fight against us?" Iba asked.

"I…I-I…" Isane stuttered.

"That won't be necessary. I'll be more than enough to defeat all of you," Hinamori said. She drew a second sword, one which they recognized as Yumichika's, now ready to fight with two blades instead of one.

"Stealing another person's zanpakuto, how dishonorable," Iba said.

"I won them, they are my battle trophies," Hinamori said dismissively, "And now yours will also join my little collection."

"Not if we defeat you," Izuru said, "You were my friend, Momo, but I have to stop you. I don't know what compelled you to become like this, but the old you would never even dream of anything like this."

"The old me was weak and trusting. Because of that, I suffered betrayal after betrayal. You are among those who betrayed me, just like all the others."

"I never meant to betray you Momo. You however have conciously betrayed your friends and allies. Such actions are unforgivable, and I will need to stop you," Izuru said.

Izuru and Iba walked up so that they were facing Hinamori alongside Matsumoto. Iba already had his zanpakuto in its released state, and all three were ready to fight. Hinamori gave a yell and attacked. Her blows were faster than before, with her clearly relying more and more on the sinister device on her wrist. She was able to parry their blows before they could even react, and soon they were on the defensive.

Hinamori was impossibly strong. In the past, her fighting style dealt mainly with finesse to make up for her lack in upper body strength, but now she was relying upon strength and lightning fast attacks to quickly overwhelm her opponents. Iba, Izuru, and Matsumoto were able to fend off the attacks, but didn't know how much longer they would be able to do so. Hinamori had a sadistic smile on her face, relishing in the fact that she was able to so overwhelm her former colleagues. Matsumoto knew that they would lose at this rate, and quickly thought up things to say to distract her.

"Momo, doing this won't bring you happiness! You have to stop this madness!"

"Be quiet," Hinamori growled, deflecting the blows of her opponents, "You have no right to speak to me after betraying me!"

"Then what did you do? You betrayed us and all of Soul Society!"

"You and all of the Shinigami betrayed me! Ever since I entered Seireitei, I was being set up for betrayal and pain! Everything about the place ruined my life, and left me a shell of a person! I had no choice! You all forced me into this!"

Hinamori rapidly slashed at them, causing several minor wounds, though not resulting in any serious damage. Iba meanwhile was analyzing her swordsmanshiip.

"The sword in your left hand is slightly less maneuverable and causes less powerful blows than the one in your right hand. Perhaps you're right handed and unable to properly wield two swords," Iba commented.

"I can use them both equally well, don't be trivial," Hinamori scoffed, "You won't delay your own death."

"Actually…" Iba said, ignoring her, "I think it's more that you're using someone elses zanpakuto. Even you can't conquer another person's zanpakuto, they will only work properly for their master, both in terms of regular combat and in released state."

Hinamori's eyes flashed with anger. She immediately leapt back, and sheathed her regular sword so that only Yumichika's old zanpakuto was in her hands.

"I'll show you otherwise," she growled, "Bloom, Ruurikujaku!" The blade turned into a sickle-like blade, which immediately split into four.

"Impossible, she was able to use Yumichika's sword?" Izuru said in shock.

"Not just use, I exceed him in ability to use it," Hinamori said gleefully, "Split and deviate!"

Hinamori's hand became engulfed with energy, directed onto the zanpakuto. The zanpakuto's split blades began to glow green, and turned into vines of energy. The vines flew at Matsumoto, Izuru, and Iba, ensnaring them. They suddenly felt tired, as if their energy were being drained from their bodies.

"Now it's over," Hinamori said. The glow covered all three of them as their reiatsu was sucked away. When Hinamori returned the zanpakuto to its normal state, her three opponents collapsed in exhaustion.

"What…what was that?" Izuru gasped.

"This is Ruurikujaku, though you probably knew it as Fujikujaku. You see, Yumichika Ayesegawa always hid the fact that he had a Kido-based zanpakuto, so he gave it a fake name and rarely used it. For a Kido master like me, manipulating and using such a zanpakuto is no problem, and I am able to far exceed him at it. Now then…" Hinamori walked up to their bodies, preparing to deliver the finishing blows.

Suddenly, something large and heavy hit her in the back of the head. Gasping in pain, she staggered back, turning to see who it was. Behind her stood Ikkaku Madarame, a chain around his wrist still connected to a piece of stone from the wall he had been chained to.

"So you escaped your imprisonment, huh?" she said, clutching the bleeding part of her head. Ikkaku spun the chain and stone like a flail.

"That's right, and I'm going to stop you from degrading Yumichika's memory," he said.

"Well Yumichika never told you about its true power, did he? Don't worry though, I'll let you experience it! Split and Deviate!" Hinamori shouted. The zanpakuto turned back into the energy vines, which flew at Ikkaku. Just as they were about to engulf him though, they stopped, shuddering in midair for a moment before dissolving into specks of glowing dust.

"What? How can this be?!" Hinamori yelled.

"Maybe Ruurikujaku recognized an old friend," Ikkaku said, "I knew all about Yumichika's zanpakuto, and never once judged him for it. I don't believe that something of Yumichika's would ever hurt me. Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking Yumichika's zanpakuto back now."

Hinamori glared at him, then at Ruurikujaku, now reduced to the hilt and guard.

"Take it!" she yelled, throwing the hilt at him, "But either way you'll die right here!" She drew her zanpakuto and rushed at him. Before she could strike though, three swords stopped her.

Iba, Matsumoto, and Izuru were all standing up, ready to continue the fight.

"It seems that our energy has been restored after your attack on Ikkaku failed," Matsumoto noted, "Shall we finish this?"

"I will finish all of you!" Hinamori yelled. She wildly attacked them, still much stronger and faster but without the focus she had before. Her anger made her movements sloppy, and she received several small wounds.

"Raise your head, Wabisuke!" Izuru shouted, his zanpakuto going into its release state. Hinamori attempted to attack him, but soon her sword became very heavy, sending her falling to the ground. Tapping her body several times, she soon became too heavy to move. Izuru placed the hook-shaped zanpakuto around Hinamori's neck.

"This is your last chance Momo," he said, "Surrender, or die."

"Izuru…your zanpakuto was always an unfair in combat," Hinamori whispered, "Luckily, so am I." Hinamori grabbed her zanpakuto with both hands and in a flash of movement leapt up and impaled Izuru through the chest.

"I see…" he whispered, "You just pretended to be affected so badly by Wabisuke…"

"I'm much more powerful than I was before, your zanpakuto can't hinder me," Hinamori said as blood flowed onto her hands, "Goodbye then." She withdrew her sword, and Izuru collapsed to the ground.

"Izuru!" Matsumoto yelled, rushing to help Izuru. Hinamori brought her sword around to slash her across the chest.

"He's dead, but don't worry, you'll get to join him soo-"

She was cut off by a poweful blow to the side from Iba's zanpakuto. She grabbed her side and held her sword up.

"I guess I shouldn't have let my guard down," Hinamori muttered. The blow to her side was pretty bad. Blood flowed freely and she was sure that several organs were hit. Her body was very resilient though, and she wouldn't die from such simple wounds.

She slashed at the others, with them blocking her attacks relatively easily. Ikkaku used the chain connected to the broken chunk of wall to smash her ankle, causing her to drop to one knee, still futiley holding up her zanpakuto, her grasp on it shaky.

"Surrender Momo, you have lost this battle," Matsumoto said.

"I'm afraid I'll have to step in then," a sinister voice said. They turned to see Mayuri Kurotsuchi standing behind them.

"C-Captain Kurotsuchi!" Iba gasped.

"Shit…" Ikkaku muttered.

"Not him…" Matsumoto said, her teeth clenched.

"I'll deal with you, but first I must bail out my useless Vice-captain," Mayuri said. He shunpoed to where Nemu was. Yachiru stood to attack but Mayuri ruthlessly slashed her across the stomach.

"Yachiru!" Matumoto shouted as Mayuri dispelled the Kido keeping Nemu in place.

"You useless dullard! I can't depend on you for anything!" he said to Nemu.

"I'm sorry Mayuri-sama," Nemu said.

"I'll deal with you later, first I have to dispatch these trouble-makers," he said. He immediately attacked, slashing Iba across the arm and forcing them all into defense. They knew they couldn't defeat a captain in their already-weakened state, but they kept fighting with no other choice.

Isane watched fearfully as the fight dragged on. She could not interfere, no matter how painful it was to see her friends being injured. The lives of her division members were at stake if she went against Hinamori. There was a stirring at her feet, and she looked down to see Rukia shakily getting up.

"Stay there Rukia," Isane said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Rukia immediately swatted the hand away.

"D-don't touch me you traitor!" she gasped, forcing herself to her feet, "You abandoned your friends and betrayed everyone! I can't believe you of all people would do such a thing! Do you have any idea how much pain you've caused your sister? Kiyone was a wreck with the knowledge that her big sister was a traitor."

"Rukia…I can't make an excuse, but this is the only way for me to-"

"Well the only way for me is to fight, not roll over and surrender to the enemy like a coward!" Rukia yelled, grabbing her sword and charging towards the battle.

"Wait! Rukia, stop!" Isane yelled. Rukia paid no attention and continued her charge. Suddenly however there was a loud crack. She turned to see cracks appearing in the block of ice where the voornx beast was frozen. Suddenly the ice shattered, and the beast gave a shriek of rage and charged at her.

"Already weakened from wounds and poison, Rukia could not even defend herself when the beast pounced on her, slashing her with its claws. She screamed as its huge jaws latched onto her arm.

Isane was frozen in fear, unable to move. Rukia would surely be killed if nothing were done, but there was nothing she could do to help her. Suddenly, a cloaked, hooded figure appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and with one slash beheaded the horrible creature. Rukia whimpered, her arm nearly torn off, being connected only by a few tendons.

"Who are you?" Mayuri said, the battle with the others momentarily stopped. The figured raised a hand and removed the hood, revealing the face of Retsu Unohana.

"Captain!" Isane said in shock.

"C-C-C-C-Cap-Cap-Cap-Captain U-Uno-Unohana…" Mayuri stuttered in horror.

"Impossible! You're supposed to be dead! I have witnesses who saw you killed during the invasion of Seireitei!" Hinamori said, forcing herself to her feet.

"You should always be skeptical of allegations of death when there is no body," Unohana said, bending down to stop the bleeding from Rukia's arm. Hinamori growled.

"Mayuri, take her out!" she yelled.

"M-me?! B-b-but I-"

Suddenly there was a noise that sounded like static, which all present recognized as Sonido. Ulquiorra now stood in front of them, his typical impassive face scanning over all present.

"Ah, Ulquiorra!" Hinamori said, staggering forward, "I'm glad you're here. Help Mayuri finish off all these fools who oppose Aizen's greatness."

Ulquiorra raised a hand, and with a loud bang, released a bala blast. The blasts did not hit Unohana or the others though. Mayuri lay on the ground, gasping for breath as half his torso was gone. He reached for his dropped zanpakuto, only for his arm to be blasted away as well. With a gasp, his eyes rolled back in his head and he ceased breathing.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hinamori said angrily, "Why are you-"

Ulquiorra stabbed Hinamori in the chest with his hand. Blood trickled from Hinamori's mouth as her eyes remained wide open in shock.

"You were never an ally of Aizen-sama, I have discovered your treachery, Aizen will soon know all about your duplicitous acts. It is over for you," he said coldly. He removed his hand from her chest, and she collapsed, blood pooling around her body from her wounds.

She fought to maintain conciousness, but found herself unable to even breathe. Her vision became blurred and she could no longer feel her limbs. Was she going to die? This couldn't be the end! She didn't want to die yet, there was still so much she wanted to do, so much she hadn't accomplished. She soon found herself unable to maintain conciousness however. With a gasping breath, everything went black for Momo Hinamori.

* * *

Thank you for reading. Thank you to Sunset Rainbow, Assault Godzilla, Merciless Ruby, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Jaybird4909, animelover24271, DW64, and Dwellin for reviewing! I'm setting a goal of finishing this book by my birthday May first. Some reviews would probably help me to meet that goal, so please review!


	36. Chapter 35

Darkness

_Chapter 35_

"_Shiro-chaaaaaan!" Momo called, running up to her best friend._

"_Stop calling me Shiro-chan, Bed-wetter Momo!" Toushiro retorted._

"_I don't wet the bed anymore…" Momo said, her cheeks turning red._

"_Whatever. What did you want anyways?" Toushiro said irritably._

"_I got accepted to the Shinigami Academy! Don't you remember me telling you earlier that I'd be getting a reply soon? Well anyways, now I'm going to be living at the dormitories in the Academy!"_

"_What, so you won't be living here anymore?" Toushiro asked in surprise._

"_Are you sad that I'm going to be going away? Don't worry, my classes won't start for a few weeks, so until then you can have me all to yourself! Besides, while I am at the Academy, I'll visit you as often as I can!" Momo said cheerfully._

"_Like I care. You can stay there for all I care," Toushiro said._

"_Don't be so grumpy, I know you're going to miss me Shiro-chan!" Hinamori leant down and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Toushiro smiled a little, but quickly forced himself into a scowl._

"_How many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Shiro-chan!"_

Hinamori's eyes slowly flickered open. She couldn't seee anything at first, with everything appearing as a blurry smudge. What had happened? She had been fighting Matsumoto when Izuru and the others showed up, and then…that was right, Ulquiorra discovered her.

Her eyes shot wide open, only for her to quickly close them again due to them not being adjusted to the light. Where was she? Ulquiorra knew about her plan, so it was over for her. He would report it to Aizen, and she would be killed. Everything she had worked for would be destroyed. For what purpose had she done everything? Wait…how was she even alive? What was going on?!

"Captain-commander Hinamori?" a voice said. Hinamori opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was still blurred, but she could see two figures outlined against an orange glow. Upon focusing harder, she realized that it was Nemu and Orihime.

"You…" Hinamori said, "Ulquiorra took you to save me? Why, didn't he want me killed?

"Ulquiorra didn't summon me, it was Nemu," Orihime said.

"What?"

"Ulquiorra is dead, killed by Captain Unohana," Nemu said, "Now that Mayuri-sama is no longer alive, I will be serving you."

"And what about the others?" Hinamori asked.

"They fled with Unohana," Nemu explained.

"Isane too?" Hinamori asked.

"No," another voice said, "I am still here." Hinamori squinted her eyes to see Isane Kotetsu standing off to the side.

"I thought you would have taken the opportunity to flee. It seems you really are on our side," Hinamori noted.

Isane stared blankly at the ground.

_Unohana sheathed her sword, having just defeated Ulquiorra. She bent down and picked up Rukia, taking care not to injure her already mangled arm. Iba carried Yachiru, and Ikkaku helped Matsumoto to walk. They went up to the hole in the wall from which they broke in._

"_C-Captain Unohana…" Isane said suddenly. Unohana turned to look at her Vice-captain._

"_Isane…good work keeping the division safe."_

Isane subconciously shook herself, trying not to appear suspicious.

"Well, it now seems that we'll have to be a bit more careful," Hinamori chuckled, "After I have healed, prepare a connection to Aizen. I think it's time we invited him over."

---

Unohana set Rukia down on a blanket, with Byakuya kneeling down next to her.

"Rukia…can you save her," he asked.

"I don't know," Unohana said sadly, "She is in bad shape and has lost a lot of blood, not to mention all of the poison. I'd put her chances of survival at about thirty percent, even with expert healing.

"I knew I should have gone with her," Ichigo said, clenching his fists. Nearby, Yachiru, Iba, and Matsumoto were also lying down, healing from their injuries. Ikkaku was sitting down at the base of the tree, staring at the reformed Ruurikujaku, the zanpakuto of his old friend.

"What about you, Retsu," Ukitake asked, "How did you survive, I was certain that you had been killed."

"I was badly injured, yes, but I was able to turn that into an advantage," Unohana said, "By appearing to be dead, I was able to move around more easily, and get to the bottom of what they have been doing. The truth isn't pretty."

"What are they planning on doing?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Well, to put it most basically, the Harvester is the key element to their plot. I assume you felt the tremor earlier and saw the flash of light. That was the test phase of the Harvester. With it, Aizen will be able to open a portal to the dimension of the Spirit King. Unfortunately for him, Hinamori is planning on prematurely closing the portal, trapping him in that dimension," Unohana explained.

"Wait, so couldn't we just wait until she's trapped Aizen to attack?" Renji asked, "It will be a lot easier to just deal with her than to fight Aizen and the espada."

"We can't do that. In order to create the portal, the Harvester gathers the life energy of all living things in a certain area. Hundreds of thousands would be killed, and Aizen would still kill the spirit king. Then there's the issue of the creatures that Hinamori is creating. She no doubt intends to use them to wipe out the shinigami, and I have no doubt that she will if given more time. We absolutely must stop both her and Aizen before they are able to complete their goals. I recommend that we infiltrate Seireitei and stop them as soon as possible. We will have to stop both at the same time however, or the results could be catastrophic."

"Urahara predicted that something like this might be going on," Yoruichi noted, "We'll have to simultaneously take out not only the Harvester and those creatures, but Aizen and his allies as well."

"I'll take out Hinamori," Hitsugaya said, "I have…the responibility. I am partially responsible for all of this, and I need to fix it."

"She was your friend," Ukitake noted, "Do you really think you could hurt her, the girl you always swore to protect? If necessary, would you be able to kill her?" Hitsugaya hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"It is _because_ she is my friend that I must be the one to stop her."

---

Hinamori carefully trimmed her hair. With that damned Matsumoto cutting away portions of it, she had to even it out so that it looked proper. To make things worse, she had an address to the other Shinigami she was scheduled to give before Aizen came. Ulquiorra had not told anyone of her treachery, but she knew that the sooner her plan was put into place, the better.

She looked at herself carefully in the mirror, deciding that she had trimmed her hair well enough. She grabbed a cloth like the one she used to wrap around the bun she wore her hair in, but holding it up and looking into her reflection, she decided that the style didn't really suit her anymore. She was after all a changed person. Her face was not as round and youthful as it once was and her hair didn't have that same feeling that it once had. It just seemed wrong on her now that she thought about it. Sighing, she tossed the cloth away and tied her hair back normally. While doing so she noticed something.

On the back of her left hand was a small speck of blood. Examining it, she saw that there was no wound on her hand, so she determined that it must have been from one of the others earlier. That's right, it must have been from when she stabbed Kira, the blood ran all over her hands then. Still, it was strange that it was still there, as she had washed herself off earlier, and it seemed that she would have noticed it before.

She moistened a washcloth and rubbed at the little speck of blood. When she removed the washcloth, she realized that it was still there. Frowning, she scrubbed at the spot of blood even harder, but with no results. Putting soap directly onto the back of her hand, she rapidly scrubbed away at it, but still the blood remained there. Growling, she took off the lid to the soap dispenser and poured it over her hand, rubbing it all over.

Still, the speck of blood did not disappear. As she glared at the speck of blood, there was a knock on the door.

"What? What is it?" she said irritably. The door creaked open and Isane walked in.

"It's time for your speech," Isane said.

"Fine, but first I need your help getting this blood off my hand, it won't come off no matter how hard I try!" Hinamori said, "Get me some stronger cleaning fluids to wash it off with."

"I don't see any blood on your hand," Isane said.

"What do you mean? It's right there!" Hinamori said, pointing to the bloody spot.

"No, there's nothing there," Isane said. Hinamori growled.

"Fine, if you're just going to play games with me I'd might as well leave," she said, standing up and stalking off.

---

"My fellow Shinigami, Sousuke Aizen is the way of the future!" Hinamori announced to the crowd, "He has overthrown the corrupt, incompetent leaders of Seireitei and will soon reign over the universe as the benevolent keeper of justice and peace!"

To Hinamori's sides were Isane, Nemu, and Hisagi. Hinamori did not particularly like giving these speeches, but they were necessary to help keep the Shinigami in line.

"Some fools try to oppose Aizen, but only because they are too blind to see his glory! He cares enough for you all that he sacrifices his own well being for the good of the universe! He is a kind and compassionate man who only wants the best, but if you oppose him, do not expect any mercy!"

Hinamori loathed giving Aizen such praise, but it was necessary to maintain the appearance of a loyal supporter. Since Aizen would soon be gone anyway, this indignity didn't matter.

"Yes, Aizen's rule will be just and fair, and we must all-"

"Vice-captain Hinamori!" a voice called out from the audience. Hinamori swiftly turned, infuriated that someone not only interrupted her but that they had called her by her former title. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

"Vice-captain Hinamori, why? Why did you kill me?" said a short, brown haired girl.

"Nelani…" Hinamori whispered in shock. She quickly attempted to regain her composure, "I-uh- sorry for that interruption. As I was saying, Aizen is just and kind, but is not afraid to punish those who dare to go against his glory! I'm sure you all have seen-"

"I loved you like an older sister!" the girl who looked like Nelani said, "You were my mentor, my friend, my Vice-captain! I devoted my entire life to you! Why did you do it? Why?"

Hinamori began sweating and feeling hot. All of the people around her suddenly seemed to box her in, trapping her in this place. She began breathing a bit faster, trying to finish her speech.

"As-as you all know, Aizen is capable of strictly…strictly punishing you, but he-he only does this for the s-sake of justice, it is not his intention to-"

"What happened to you? The Vice-captain Hinamori I knew would never do anything like this! Why are you doing such horrible things?" the girl said.

Hinamori began to panic, who was this? It couldn't be Nelani, that was impossible! Nelani was dead, killed by Hinamori personally! What was happening? Why weren't the others reacting to it? Were they in on it? Was this all a hoax to get her to crack? More importantly, whoever it was, how did they know that she killed Nelani?

"I-I know y-you may have con…concerns, b-but-"

"Vice-captain Hinamori, please answer me!" Nelani shouted, "Why did you kill me?"

Hinamori backed away from the microphone, beginning to shake and hyperventilate. Nelani…no, it couldn't be, that was impossible!

"I…I'm afraid I must go now!" she said hurriedly, running off the stage.

---

"Are you sure it's okay for me to leave her?" Byakuya asked.

"There is nothing you can do for her. The beast's bite apparently has bacteria, and she has a fever right now," Unohana said, "I'll stay with her and Yachiru, but you would serve her best by going and fighting for all of Soul Society."

"Very well," Byakuya said, standing up to join the others.

"Okay, let's go over the plan one more time," Ukitake said, "Upon infiltrating Seireitei, we will split into two groups. Captain Hitsugaya, Vice-captains Matsumoto, Vice-captain Iba, Vice-captain Abarai, and Third-seat Madarame will destroy the voornx cloning facilities and Rei'djin laboratories. Meanwhile Captain Kyouraku, Captain Kuchiki, Yoruichi Shihouin, Ichigo Kurosaki, and myself will go to destroy the harvester. It is highly likely that we will end up facing Aizen, the espada, and Hinamori, so make sure to be on guard. Understood?" Everyone nodded.

"Good, now let's get going," Yoruichi said.

As they began walking towards Seireitei, Hitsugaya looked off into the distance. _Hinamori…I'm coming to stop you._

---

"Come on! Come off!" Hinamori muttered as she scrubbed at the speck of blood on her hand. It had been three hours since she had locked herself in her room. She was still deeply shaken and confused by the appearance of Nelani earlier. She had no idea who or what it was. Why didn't anybody react to her? Were they playing a trick on her? Were they all conspiring against her? If Nelani really had been there…no, no that was impossible! Nelani was dead. Maybe it was one of Aizen's illusions. No, Aizen was in an entirely different dimension, he couldn't have done it. What the hell was it though?

Hinamori angrily slapped her own hand, ignoring the pain the action caused. She had done everything, but it wouldn't come off. Even as the skin around it was rubbed raw by the scrubbing and caustic chemicals she had used in an attempt to wash it off, the little speck of blood was still there.

"Stop this," she whispered, "Stop mocking me! Come off!" She clawed at the back of her hand and slammed it against the wall. She shook in anger as she hysterically tried to get the blood off, her mind devoid of all other thought.

"Fine!" she yelled at it, an insane grin spreading across her face, "I'll make you come off!" She placed her arm on the edge of the sink. With her free hand, she drew her katana and raised it above the arm.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door, causing Hinamori to jump and snap out of her manic state.

"Um, w-who is it?" she asked, shakily sheathing her sword.

"It is me, Captain-commander Hinamori," the voice of Nemu said, "Aizen has arrived and requests your immediate presence.

"Yes…very well," Hinamori said, "Tell Aizen-sama that I will be there right away."

When she heard Nemu walking away, she took a deep breath to calm herself. This would all be over soon. Soon both Aizen and all the others would be gone. Yes, she would only have to wait until then.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Thank you to Assault Godzilla, Dwellin, snoopypet, argella1300, animelover24271, AznVKai, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Merciless Ruby, DW64, and Sunset Rainbow for reviewing! Please review!


	37. Chapter 36

Darkness

_Chapter 36_

Hinamori bowed to Aizen, as did Isane, Nemu, and Hisagi behind her.

"Rise, my servants," Aizen said. They immediately stood up, looking at the person who was likely already the most powerful man in the universe. With their help, he no doubt hoped to get rid of that 'likely' and cement his position into place. Behind him were Ichimaru, Tousen, Halibel, and Barragan.

"I am sorry to hear about Ulquiorra and Mayuri, they were valuable parts of our plan," Aizen said.

"Yes, they will certainly be missed, though I assure you that the plan will still proceed as scheduled," Hinamori said, "To prevent further problems though, I recommend carrying out the operation as soon as possible, later today ideally."

"No, I think not," Aizen said with a small smile.

"What? Why?" Hinamori asked in surprise.

"One must bide ones time and wait for the right moment if one wishes to conquer all of one's enemies," he said, "If we use this device of yours as bait, we can draw out our enemies from hiding, and defeat them all at once rather than having to hunt them down later. Be patient, things will work out soon enough."

"And what do you wish us to do in the mean time?" Hinamori asked.

"Oh, nothing special. Just go about your regular routines until our prey shows up," Aizen said.

"As you wish," Hinamori said with a bow.

----

Sajin Komamura stared at the ground in front of him. That was all he had been doing for months, ever since he was captured and placed in this tiny cell. He had no idea what the world had become outside the walls of the cell. He didn't know who had survived and who had been killed. His arms and legs were chained to the wall with heavy shackles that even he could not break free from.

Other than the time that Hinamori had come to taunt him and the times that poor food and dirty water was delivered, he had no contact with the outside world. He was beginning to wonder if this was to be his fate for the rest of his life, to be chained up while Aizen ruled the world.

Suddenly his keen ears picked up the sound of someone approaching. The footsteps were not Hinamori's, nor were they the arrancars that usually came this way. He tensed up as the door creaked open, his fur standing on end. He relaxed slightly when he saw who it was.

Isane Kotetsu walked into the cell, a nervous look about her.

"What do you want?" Komamura asked wearily, "What is another traitor doing here?"

"Please, Captain Komamura, I-"

"I'm not Captain anymore! Aizen destroyed the Gotei 13 with the help of people like you! You betrayed us all, just like Aizen, Ichimaru, Tousen, and Hinamori! You're no different!" Komamura growled.

"Please sir…listen to me, I didn't want to, I was forced!" Isane said desperately, "Captain Unohana seemed to be killed, and without her, I was the only one to protect the division! If I hadn't allied myself with them, most of the Fourth Division would have been killed! We sustained the lowest casualties due to that fact! Aizen can't be stopped now, it's impossible! To go against him would doom not only myself, but my entire division!"

"What makes you think that Aizen can't be stopped? Don't you have any hope for the future of the Shinigami?" Komamura asked, "I personally believe that as long as there are Shinigami willing to fight a tyrant like Aizen, the battle is not lost."

"But sir, Aizen is too powerful, and we've already lost so many of our forces! Even Captain-commander Yamamoto is gone! How can we possibly hope to win against Aizen, he's simply unstoppable! It's one thing to sacrifice your own life, but for such a hopeless situation, I can't sacrifice my division!" Isane said.

"Well why did you come to me?" Komamura asked, "If you've already decided that it's hopeless and that your only option is collaboration, why did you bother coming to me?"

"I…I don't know," Isane said.

"Well, let me ask you something. Do you really believe that your division would be safe in a world ruled by Aizen? Do you think that he really considers you important enough to keep you alive? Your fear of him is what allows him to control you and others."

"It's not Aizen that I fear…" Isane said quietly.

---

Hinamori stalked around her room. Aizen had instructed her to make no unnecessary moves until he saw fit. Hinamori knew that he was hoping to lure as many Shinigami as possible into a trap so that they would be eliminated, but Hinamori had no such problems. For Aizen, eliminating the remainders of the Gotei 13 leaders may be necessary for his plan, but for Hinamori eliminating them was the plan. Aizen of course hoped to rule after killing the Spirit King. He had no way of knowing that Hinamori would trap him and his most loyal servants in the King's dimension leaving her and the voornx to eliminate the Shinigami. It was frustrating, but she had to go along with it so as not to arouse suspicion.

"Damn it…" she muttered to herself, very frustrated. She wanted to finish things as soon as possible. After Aizen was out of the picture, she would be free to release the Voornx, and her personal plan would be well underway. She didn't think that Aizen was on to her, but to be safe she knew she had to take things slowly.

Aizen needed her to properly use the Harvester. In order to transport it, the forbidden spacial displacement Kido was needed, and Hinamori was the only one capable of using such advanced and complex Kido. They had already determined which area of Rukongai to use the Harvester on, and everything was ready. Now all that was left to do was defeat the remnants of the Shinigami that Aizen predicted would soon come. Hinamori was quite anxious for this, as the sooner they were defeated the sooner she could put her plans into effect.

As she was thinking this, the door slid open, and Nemu walked in. Hinamori inwardly grinned. It had been a stroke of good fortune that Mayuri had died, as this meant that Nemu was now loyal to her. Nemu, unlike all the others, was literally incapable of betrayal. She had some control over Isane and Hisagi, sure, but Nemu was the only one she could truly rely on for her plans. She wasn't so much a person as she was a machine to do Hinamori's bidding.

"Is there something you want?" Hinamori asked.

"I came to report that there are five unidentified figures in the sewers below the research area," Nemu said. Hinamori grinned.

"Come with me. It's time we greeted our old friends, don't you think?"

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to snoopypet, Assault Godzilla, argella1300, SunsetRainbow, AznVKai, Merciless Ruby, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, shortliketoshiro, animelover24271, and DW64 for reviewing! Please review!


	38. Chapter 37

Darkness

_Chapter 37_

Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Renji, Iba, and Ikkaku walked through the dimly lit sewers. It was quiet, with their footsteps echoing as they walked.

"We should be almost there," Matsumoto said.

"Just remember to stay on your guard, we don't know what we're going to encounter," Hitsugaya said.

"Do you think the others will be able to get past Aizen?" Ikkaku asked.

"We can only hope. After we've destroyed the cloning labs and genetic records, we should join up with them as soon as possible," Matsumoto said.

"Wait…do you hear something?" Renji asked.

"What?" Iba said.

"Listen? Can't you hear it?" Renji said. They listened carefully. A faint noise could be heard coming from beyond the sewer walls. It sounded like scratching and an occasional thump against the concrete. They stopped walking as they listened. The noise seemed to be getting louder.

"What the hell is that?" Iba asked.

"I don't know," Hitsugaya said.

They listened to the scratching and banging sounds. Suddenly, cracks began to form, and moments later, the wall burst open. An ear-splitting shriek pierced the air.

"It's them!" Matsumoto shouted, momentarily feeling dizzy from the sonic blast. Hitsugaya had his sword drawn almost immediately, and in a single swipe, lopped off the ugly head sticking through the hole in the wall.

Two more tried to squeeze through the hole, eager to get at their shinigami prey. Hitsugaya, Ikkaku, and Matsumoto stabbed at them, killing them as they struggled to get out. They waited until they were sure that no more were coming before bringing their swords down.

"What were they doing behind there?" Ikkaku asked.

"Maybe it's some sort of basement they got into or a storage area," Matsumoto suggested, "We should check it out."

"Okay, but be careful. We don't want to attract more of them," Hitsugaya said. Pushing the dead bodies aside, they crawled through the hole to the other side. Once they were through, they gasped in surprise.

They stood inside a massive structure made of grey stone and illuminated by strange crystals emitting greenish lights. They were on a rocky slope that went down about twenty more feet before becoming something of a regular floor. It was like the inside of a cave, with a high ceiling and numerous stone pillars, and large rocks, making the place like a giant maze of stone. It seemed very natural, not something one would find underneath a place like Seireitei.

"What is this place?" Renji said, awestruck by the sheer size of the place.

"Take a look at the floor," Hitsugaya said. They looked down, and to their horror, the remains of shinigami littered the floor.

"What…what on earth…"

"Training grounds," Hitsugaya said through grit teeth, "They've been putting Shinigami down here as training for the voornx." A look of pure disgust crossed everyone's faces as the implications of this set in.

"What now?" Renji said.

"If the voornx are here, then it means that this place has a direct connection to wherever they're produced. We'll have to go down and check it out," Hitsugaya said.

"There are probably more of them," Iba commented, "We'll have to be careful."

"Just remember everything we know. They have paralyzing bristles on their tails, their mouths are full of deadly bacteria, and their claws are covered in poison. If you get bit or scratched, you're as good as dead. Watch out for the sonic screech too. Their scales are troublesome, but the underbellies and the lower parts of the neck seem to be weakest. Still, you'll have to really focus your reiatsu onto your blade if you want to be able to successfully cut them. Now let's go."

They jumped off the edge of the slope and slid down. The place was slightly moist, and it was unusually quiet for a place full of vicious creatures. They walked through the place, their swords drawn and their eyes searching for more of the savage beasts. The massive stone pillars and rock formations connecting the floor and ceilings made the search difficult. Every once in a while they thought they saw movement behind a stalagmite or within a gap in a rock formation.

"I don't like this," Renji whispered, "It's too quiet…surely those three weren't the only ones."

"Shhh! If there are more then don't attract their attention idiot!" Matsumoto hissed. They continued to glance nervously around them. The stone pillars and rock formations essentially formed walls of a maze. They had no idea how big this place was and could not even remember which direction they came from. It was very tense, and every moment they half expected to hear the earsplitting shriek of a voornx pierce the air.

As they walked on, they noticed that the stone pillars and rock piles were becoming wider, and the areas between them becoming narrower, creating distinct pathways. They still didn't know exactly where it was that they were going, but knew that this was the best way to get to the origin of the voornx. Suddenly Hitsugaya froze.

"Wait…" he said slowly. Suddenly he turned around, slashing at a voornx that had leapt at him from behind, slashing the beast across the stomach. The creature got back to its feet, injured but still highly aggressive. Three more emerged from the shadows behind it, and a fourth emerged on top of a rock pile near them. Hitsugaya and the others tightly gripped their swords.

Hitsugaya clenched his teeth as he watched the five creatures stare at them menacingly. This area was too narrow to fight them in. Were these ordinary beasts, it would be to their advantage to fight in a place like this, but with monstrosities of which even a tiny bite or scratch was fatal, they couldn't afford to be in a position where they could not fully utilize their swords.

"We can't fight them here," Hitsugaya muttered, "Run!" They immediately took off in the opposite direction, with the voornx bounding behind them in pursuit. Hitsugaya stayed at the back as they ran, ready to fight the beasts off to let his subordinates escape if necessary.

As they ran, they saw one more creature in the path in front of them. If they stopped to fight it, the five pursuing them would easily catch up and overpower them. Thinking quickly, Hitsugaya directed them to a slightly narrower passageway to their left. They were now in an area so narrow that they had to run in a single file line. It was far too narrow to even swing their swords, meaning that if the pursuing voornx caught up, they were as good as dead.

As they ran through the dark passage, they noticed a light near the end.

"Hurry! This might be it!" Hitsugaya said, hoping that it would be a place where they could exit this underground area or at least a place where they could adequately fight. They ran as fast as they could until they finally reached the end of the passageway, finding themselves in a much larger circular area with no pillars and only a few rock formations. Surrounding it were huge walls of stone, of which there were eight pathways out of including the one they emerged from. The luminous green lights were stronger here than earlier.

As they stood at the center of the room, waiting for the voornx pursuing them, they noticed something else. Not only were there voornx coming from the passage that they had come from, the terrible beasts were emerging _en masse_ from the other seven passageways.

"Captain…" Matsumoto said in shock.

"Yes, we fell right into their trap," Hitsugaya said through clenched teeth.

"To think they could outwit and corner us like this," Iba said, "Clever beasts…"

"What now?" Ikkaku asked.

"What other choice do we have?" Hitsugaya said, holding up his sword, "We fight!"

"That's just the answer I wanted to hear," Renji said with a determined smile, releasing his zanpakuto. Iba and Ikkaku did likewise. They formed a circle so that the creatures could not sneak up behind them.

The beasts watched carefully, blocking the pathways out but not making any move to attack. They simply watched the shinigami, snapping their jaws and swinging their long tails back and forth.

"What's going on?" Matsumoto whispered, "Why haven't they attacked?"

"Because I haven't ordered them to!" a voice loudly said. They looked up to see a flash of light. When it subsided, Momo Hinamori and Shuuhei Hisagi stood atop a ledge on the stone walls.

"You…" you Hitsugaya said, staring up at her in shock. This was the first time he had seen his old friend since she walked past him in his prison cell. She looked even worse than before, looking thin, gaunt, and pale. Her dry, grey-streaked hair hung loose, and her eyes were wide and angry looking. It was horrible to see his old friend in such an evil state.

"You really have become skilled, for you to have been able to hide your presence completely from us," Renji commented.

"That is nothing compared to what I am capable of," Hinamori said with a harsh laugh, "I transported this entire place from the outskirts of Rukongai using the forbidden _Kukanteni_. My powers have surpassed your wildest imaginations."

"We'll see about that," Matsumoto said defiantly, "What about you, Shuuhei? Why are you of all people going along with this?"

"My reasons are my own," Hisagi said, "Now die. Reap, Kazeshini." His zanpakuto transformed into his shikai, taking the form of two scythe-like weapons with double blades on opposite sides connected by a chain. He launched one of them at the group of shinigami below, only for Renji to lengthen his own shikai to block it.

"I don't know why you're doing this, but I'll have to stop you, Senpai," he said.

"Then so be it!" Hisagi said, running forward to attack.

"Growl, Haineko!" Matsumoto said, turning her zanpakuto to ash. She directed it towards three voorx guarding the largest of the pathways out of the area. The ash hit them in the face, and with a flick of Matsumoto's wrist, inflicted irritating wounds. The beasts let out a roar of pain, losing their cold, predatory cunning and charging straight at Matsumoto in anger.

Hitsugaya intercepted them, lopping the heads off of two of them and cutting the front legs off of a third, finishing it off with a stab to the side.

"Iba! Madarame! Go!" he commanded, taking advantage of the unblocked passage. Iba and Ikkaku immediately ran towards the now open path. Hinamori gave a hand signal, and most of the remaining voorx began to pursue.

Hitsugaya ran to intercept the beasts. As a captain-level fighter, he was able to pierce the tough scales that the others had difficulties with. Before he was able to take out any of the creatures though, Hinamori appeared in front of him, blocking a slash aimed for one of the creatures.

"I can't have you interrupting their little hunt," she said quietly, "Besides, I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Today will be the day that you die."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to Jaybird4909, AznVKai, Assault Godzilla, shortliketoshiro, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Merciless Ruby, argella1300, snoopypet, and DW64 for reviewing! Please review!


	39. Chapter 38

Darkness

_Chapter 38_

"Before we fight, let me ask you something," Hitsugaya said as he and Hinamori's blades were crossed, "Why? Why are you doing all of this?"

"If you don't know already then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought," Hinamori scoffed, "Besides, why should I bother answering the question of a dead man?" She swung her sword at him, with him dodging it and blocking the next blow.

"Was it me? Am I the reason that you're doing all of this?" he asked.

"I have no need to answer that," Hinamori sneered, striking again.

"Captain!" Matsumoto shouted, running forward.

"Matsumoto, stay back!" Hitsugaya ordered, "This…is something I need to do myself." Matsumoto reluctantly nodded and stood back, not interfering with her captain's battle with his old friend.

"I'm going to kill you here and now," Hinamori said. The band on her wrist emerged, and her power rose greatly. She slashed at Hitsugaya, who blocked the attack but could tell that the strike had much more power in it than before.

Hinamori slashed at him again, and Hitsugaya dodged by leaning to the side, using the movement for his own attack. Their blades were locked together, and they stared into eachother's eyes. The former friends, now mortal enemies, fought with all of their strength, but neither was able to significantly damage the other.

"That device you're using…it's hurting you isn't it?" Hitsugaya asked. Hinamori swung at his side.

"Don't be ridiculous," she growled as he blocked the blow, "I am becoming more and more powerful because of it."

"It's a dangerous device that eats away at your body and your sanity. Exactly the type of device someone like Aizen would use to control someone."

"Shut up!" Hinamori shouted, "I'm not being controlled by Aizen, I'm just using him for my own gains! I don't care for him, I don't care for anybody! You all showed me that there are no such things as friends or allies, that they'll just betray you!"

"Momo, listen to me! I never meant-"

"But you did! You did betray me! Even before I realized it, you had betrayed me! You and Aizen and all the others! I hate you all, and I'll see to it that you're all killed!"

"Aizen manipulated you into this! The Momo Hinamori I knew would never do something like this! She was a kind, sweet girl who always wanted to help her friends! Aizen is using that thing to keep control over you by forcing you into hatred! You have to stop this Momo!"

"There is no stopping it! I've gone too far to stop!" Hinamori shouted, slashing at Toushiro, "I'm going to eradicate you and all the shinigami!"

"Then I guess it's too late for me to save you," Hitsugaya said bitterly, "I'm sorry Momo, but I won't let you achieve such evil goals, even if it means killing you. You were…my best friend, maybe even more than that. But you've allowed yourself to be corrupted. I have no choice but to end your life. Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

---

Renji and Hisagi's zanpakuto clashed with eachother. Renji's blade could be used like a whip, which he utilized to block Hisagi's zanpakuto strikes in mid-air. Hisagi was skillfully using his zanpakuto to both attack and defend, and had inflicted several minor wounds on Renji with the scythe-like blades.

"Very impressive, as expected from my old Senpai," Renji commented with a slight smile, "You really are quite amazing."

"Does that mean that you've accepted your defeat?" he asked, "You've stopped asking me why I am fighting on this side ever since I began beating you."

"Oh, I didn't need to ask anymore," Renji said with a grin, "Because you're not Shuuhei Hisagi!"

"What?"

"Hisagi disliked using his Shikai. He always said it was shaped like something meant to take life. He respected and feared its power. You used the Shikai right away, and your style is far too aggressive for Hisagi. If it were him fighting me, he would first try to use the chains to disable me, whereas you have been using it for pure attack power. I don't know how you have his zanpakuto, but you are not Hisagi!"

"An astute observation. You are correct, I am not Shuuhei Hisagi."

"So who are you then?" Renji asked.

"I am a combination of gigai and mod soul technology in a form modeled after Shuuhei Hisagi. It is the same technology used to create Nemu Kurotsuchi. I am surprised that you were able to figure it out, I studied his mannerisms most thoroughly."

"So where's the real Hisagi?" Renji asked.

"I have no need to answer," the fake Hisagi said before launching another attack. Renji used his zanpakuto like a whip to swat aside the strike.

"If that's the case, I'll just have to force it out of you," he said with a smirk.

---

Hitsugaya's ice wings blocked a kido strike from Hinamori. After he entered Bankai, her attacks had become even more brutal. He flew forwards, his sword extended. Hinamori leapt to the side, slashing at Hitsugaya and cutting off a chunk of ice. He had several minor cuts from Hinamori's attacks, but was able to hold his own against her. He slashed at her, with her blocking the blade. They glared into eachother's eyes with anger and killing intent.

Hitsugaya never thought that a day like this would come. He had sworn to always protect Hinamori, to keep her safe from pain and harm. Now it appeared that he himself would be the one to kill her. He knew it had to be done; Hinamori's crimes were too great to allow her to live. She had become immersed in evil, transformed by Aizen into a monster. It was his responsibility as her former friend to end her life.

Hinamori repeatedly slashed and hacked at him, keeping him constantly on his guard. Her attacks were fast and powerful, but lacked finesse. Toushiro cut at her, locking blades for a moment before thrusting his blade forward to cut into the side of her shoulder. Ice formed over the wound, and Hinamori leapt back, clutching the wound.

"I'm going to stop you Momo," Hitsugaya said, "I can't let you carry out your evil plans."

Hinamori glared at him for a moment, but her gaze then wandered to Matsumoto standing off to the side. A wicked smile crossed her face.

"Hado 88, Flying Dragon Thunder Cannon!"

A massive blast of energy shot from Hinamori's palm straight at Matsumoto. Realizing what she was doing, Hitsugaya immediately flew to her with his ice wings. Just as he reached her however, the blast struck, creating a massive explosion encompassing half of the room. When the smoke subsided, she could se Hitsugaya standing above a fallen Matsumoto, his ice wings crumbling away due to the blast. He stared in shock at his injured vice-captain.

"I knew you'd try to defend her. But it looks like it backfired. Now you can't use your bankai. I must compliment you though; I am surprised that those ice wings were able to even partially block my attack," Hinamori said. Toushiro clenched his fist as he stood over Matsumoto.

"Hinamori…why did you become like this? Why are you doing such despicable, evil things?" he asked quietly.

"How many times do I have to say it? Because everyone betray-"

"Shut up!" Hitsugaya shouted at her, "We betrayed you? You betrayed your friends, your division, and all of Seireitei. You even murdered your most loyal subordinate and countless other shinigami! You're the one who betrayed us! Aizen is the one who betrayed you, but you let him manipulate you and make you as evil as he is! How could you let him turn you into this…this monster?! You're no better than he is!" Hinamori smirked.

"Tell me Toushiro, if everything you knew about yourself were taken away, how would you react? I thought I knew you as my friend, someone who wouldn't judge me, someone who would always be on the same level as me. You destroyed that when you ended up being such a prodigy. You were always more distant, we couldn't be honest with eachother anymore. Then you became captain and put yourself above me. Then there was Aizen, I thought he was a wonderful, brave captain who would look out for me and serve as the perfect role-model. Then he took that all away from me and nearly took my life. I thought that Seireitei and the Shinigami were just and fair, but then they convicted me of a crime I didn't commit and tried to execute me. I thought that Tobiume would always be there as my ally, but she betrayed me too. I don't even have my true body anymore, what you see is mostly a reconstruction made by Aizen to replace the parts of me lost in the execution. Everything I thought I knew has been shattered…the only possible path for me is to destroy everything and create it anew as I dictate."

"That's madness!" Hitsugaya yelled, "What about everyone else? What you're planning will destroy countless lives! Do you think that you're the only one who's felt pain? How do you think Nelani felt when her mentor betrayed and murdered her? How do you think your friends felt when you betrayed them and worked with Aizen to get them killed? How do you think I felt? I always cared about you, maybe even loved you, but you just went off to the Shinigami Academy! Don't you think that I ever felt at all sad or rejected when you went off and made new friends, coming back home with amazing powers? I always tried to be there for you, but you pushed me aside for Aizen! I didn't even want to become a Captain, and one of the main reasons I joined the Shinigami was to be with you and protect you!"

"Oh yeah, you did such a fine job with that," Hinamori said sarcastically.

"Indeed, that seems to have been my greatest failure. I wasn't able to protect you. Not from Aizen, and not from yourself. Now, at the very least, I have the responsibility to stop you," Hitsugaya said. He charged, prepared to strike down his friend. Hinamori met his strike, tears forming in her eyes.

"You were never the same after becoming a Shinigami! I may not have realized it at the time, but I think I was always a bit angry at you for going ahead of me and treating me differently from before..."

"And you were perfectly justified in that! Those are natural emotions! You felt jealous that I was called a prodigy and sad that we were becoming more distant! Everyone has those types of emotions, but Aizen used them to turn you into a monster!"

"That's not all you did to me, remember?" Hinamori yelled, swinging her sword at him, "You voted in favor of my execution. I was innocent! Aizen set me up for that attack, but you didn't believe in me, you just declared me worth of death like the others! To think that you, my best friend, would suspect me and support killing me…that is why I hate you! Not just for the action, but for making me care for you so much before the action! You completely betrayed me!"

"I know; I was wrong! I regretted that almost immediately, but it's not an excuse for what you're doing! What you're planning could destroy the universe itself!"

"So be it," Hinamori snarled, "The universe as it is now is unjust and sick. I would gladly destroy it and recreate it as I see fit."

"Listen to yourself! That is insane! You're being selfish and petty if you think it's your right to destroy everything we know just because of your own tragedies! The Momo I knew would never do something like this!"

"The Momo you knew was the first thing of this accursed universe that I destroyed," Hinamori said, "Everything I once thought I knew must go. That includes you. Die." Hinamori leapt forward to attack.

---

Renji grunted in pain as the fake Hisagi's weapon struck him, creating a nasty wound. He whipped his shikai forward to attack the fake Hisagi, only for it to dodge. He whipped it to the side, but the fake Hisagi leapt into the air, dodging once again.

"For a fake you're pretty good," Renji commented.

"I have been given the best training available," his foe said.

"Yeah, but there's one thing that can't be recreated in a lab: Instinct!" Renji yelled as he swung his sword in a downwards slash at his opponent. The fake Hisagi leapt back and launched his zanpakuto at Renji.

Renji groaned in pain as the scythe-like blades sliced through his side, but at that exact moment, he grabbed onto the chain, preventing the fake Hisagi from withdrawing his weapon.

"Now I have you!" he yelled. He whipped his zanpakuto across his foes stomach in a massive slash. The fake Hisagi stood still for a moment before collapsing to the ground. Renji let go of the chain, breathing heavily.

"Heh, well I guess that's all I can do," he muttered, clutching the wound on his side. He collapsed to his knees as he grew dizzy from blood loss. "Good luck…Captain Hitsugaya."

---

Hitsugaya and Hinamori furiously fought, tears in their eyes. The old friends fought with full intent to kill, and their eyes were filled with a mix of anger and grief. The two friends, who once would have done anything for eachother were now mortal enemies, destined to fight until one of them died.

"_Who're you?" a young Hinamori asked the boy with bright white hair._

"_Toushiro Hitsugaya," he said._

"_You have really pretty hair," Hinamori giggled, "By the way, I'm Momo Hinamori."_

"_It's nice to meet you," he said._

"_You look lonely; do you have a place to stay?"_

"_No, not really. Nobody seems to like me because of my hair and the way I act," Hitsugaya said._

"_Well I like you! Do you want to come live with me and Granny? She's really nice and would be glad to help take care of you!" Hinamori said._

"_Well I don't know…" Hitsugaya said hesitantly._

"_Come on Shiro-chan, you'll love it! We have a nice house where you'll be safe and sheltered, and Granny always makes wonderful food!"_

"_Well-wait, Shiro-chan?" he asked._

"_Yup, that's your nickname! Cause your hair is white and you have 'Shiro' in your name!" she said happily._

"_Well…I guess I'll go, but don't call me Shiro-chan again," he said._

"_Sure, sure; now come on! Granny will love to meet you!" Hinamori said, taking Hitsugaya's hand and leading him off to their house._

Hinamori slashed Hitsugaya across the chest, but the wound was shallow, allowing him to use the time it took her to complete her swing to attack. He took a swipe at her, making a small cut on her cheek. Growling, she swung her sword at him, with him blocking it. She kicked him in the chest, sending him reeling back, and charged at him.

"_Geez Shiro-chan, you sure eat a lot of watermelon," Hinamori commented._

"_Don't call me Shiro-chan," he said, spitting seeds at her._

"_Hey! That's not nice!" she said, nibbling on her own slice of melon._

"_Well don't call me Shiro-chan!"_

"_Maybe when you're older," she said, ruffling his hair._

"_Don't ruffle my hair!" he said._

"_Don't be such a grouch! You should smile a bit more often," Hinamori said._

"_I don't wanna."_

"_Smile Shiro-chan!" Hinamori said playfully._

"_No."_

"_In that case I'm going to have to make you smile!" Hinamori pounced on him, knocking the melon out of his hand and pinning him to the ground. "Smile Shiro-chan!"_

"_Get off of me!"_

"_That's not smiling, I guess now I'll just have to do this!" she said. She began tickling his sides, forcing laughter out of him._

"_St-stop that!" he said through laughter. Hinamori giggled as she tickled him, stopping after she got tired. She got off of him and sat back down. Hitsugaya glared at her._

"_What'd you do that for?" he asked irritably._

"_To make you smile of course," Hinamori said with a big grin._

"_Stop calling me Shiro-chan!"_

"_Never!"_

"_Then take this!" Hitsugaya tackled her, now tickling her himself. Hinamori shrieked in laughter._

"_Sh-Sh-Shiro chan, stop it!" she gasped, "You know I'm ticklish!"_

"_Call me by my real name!" he ordered, tickling her sides._

"_O-Okay, T-Toushiro!" she said between laughs as he tickled her. He stopped tickling her and they looked eachother in the eyes._

"_You're a little brat," she said with a suppressed grin._

"_And you're kind of annoying," he said with a smirk._

A downwards slash from Hinamori grazed the side of Hitsugaya's head, staining his bright white hair red and causing blood to trickle down the side of his face. He thrust his zanpakuto forward, nearly stabbing Hinamori but missing. Their blades once again clashed, their eyes full of killing intent as they stared at eachother.

Hinamori slashed at Hitsugaya furiously, with him skillfully blocking the blows, using his experience as a captain to counter her greater level of power. With a carefully planned attack, he thrust his sword forward, only for him to immediately twist and bring it down just as Hinamori was about to parry. The strike created a slash down her back.

Enraged, she brought her sword down in a powerful strike, with him swinging his sword up with equal intensity.

"_Come on Shiro-chan, you just have to see this!" Hinamori called behind her. Hitsugaya emerged from a patch of berry bushes, covered in scratches from thorns._

"_What do you want to show me that's so important?" he asked._

"_I can't tell you, it's a surprise!" Hinamori said, "Just follow me." They walked through the thick undergrowth of the forest, pushing their way through bushes and stepping over fallen logs. Hinamori was able to do it easily, but the shorter Hitsugaya had trouble._

"_Couldn't we have just stayed on the path? You know, the place where people are ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO GO?!!" Hitsugaya said irritably._

"_Don't worry, it will be worth it! Besides, we're just about there!" Hinamori announced. Straight ahead of them was a large cliff._

"_You wanted to show me a pile of rocks?" Hitsugaya asked irritably._

"_No, it's on the other side of the rocks!" Hinamori said, "I'll show you!" She backed up a few feet before running up to a tree near the cliff, leaping up and grabbing onto a branch. She pulled herself up, swinging a leg around the branch and sitting on it._

"_Come on Shiro-chan, your turn!" she said. Toushiro carefully walked over to the tree. He tried to jump up, but couldn't reach the branch. He grabbed onto the trunk and tried to climb up that way, but ended up falling down. Sighing, Hinamori got down from the tree and bended over._

"_Come on, I'll help you," she said. Toushiro embarrassedly climbed onto her back._

"_Thanks," he said with a blush._

"_No problem. You holding on tight?" Hinamori asked. Hitsugaya nodded. Hinamori again leapt up and grabbed the branch. She had to work extra hard to pull herself up this time, and was barely able to crawl up._

"_Stay on my back, it will be easier that way," she said. Hitsugaya held onto her tightly. Hinamori climbed higher up into the tree until they reached a big branch that went up next to a ledge on the cliff. Hinamori climbed down onto the cliff. She led Toushiro over to a dark cave and gestured for him to come inside._

"_Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked._

"_Just trust me," Hinamori said, leading him inside. They blindly staggered around the dark until they saw a bit of light at the other end. They walked further until they reached a steep slope, at the bottom of which was a small hole. Hinamori grabbed onto Toushiro's hand and carefully slid down the slope. They then got down on their hands and knees and crawled through the tiny opening._

_Hitsugaya gasped as he saw what was on the other side. A small, natural spring was there, surrounded on all sides by the stone wall. There were ferns, trees, and mosses surrounding it. Birds drank from the edge of the spring, and frogs sat at the banks. The air was cool and the air moist. Hitsugaya was amazed by the place._

"_So, are you glad I took you here?" Hinamori asked. Hitsugaya smiled._

"_Incredibly glad. Thank you, Momo."_

Hinamori slashed Hitsugaya across the chest, causing the left side of his Shinigami robes to come off, exposing his chest which was now bleeding badly. He was exhausted and had sustained great injuries, but knew he could not stop. He gave a yell and charged, continuing to fight Hinamori.

_Hitsugaya and Hinamori lied on their back and stared at the stars. They were on a grassy hill near their house. As crickets chirped, fireflies flew around, mixing together with the stars as Hitsugaya and Hinamori looked up at them._

"_Toushiro, how many stars do you think there are?" Hinamori asked._

"_I'm not counting them," Hitsugaya grunted. Sighing, Hinamori rolled over so that she was right next to Hitsugaya._

"_It's really nice out here," she said, nuzzling against him, "I could just watch until I fell asleep."_

"_Yeah, me too," Hitsugaya said. Hinamori wrapped an arm around him, pulling them close together._

"_I really love you Shiro-chan," she said, "I wish you'd talk to me more." Sighing, Hitsugaya rolled over onto Hinamori, causing her to gasp in surprise._

"_T-Toushiro…" she asked as he lay on top of her, staring into her eyes._

"_You know I'm not really the talking type," he said, "So…I'll just let this say everything."Hitsugaya gave her a big hug and a small peck on the lips. Grinning goofily and blushing, Hinamori hugged him back._

"_Toushiro, do you think we'll be together like this forever?"_

"_Of course Momo. We'll always be together, no matter what."_

Hitsugaya and Hinamori panted, the fight taking its toll on them. Both were wounded and bleeding in multiple places. Yet still, they fought. They fought with all their strength and all their spirit. They both knew that this would be over soon, as neither had the strength to continue for much longer. Leaping back, the former friends shot hateful glares full of killing intent at eachother.

"Let's end this, Toushiro," Hinamori said, "This battle will be decided with the next attack."

"Fine by me," Hitsugaya growled.

They both yelled as they charged, putting all their energy into this final clash. Their bodies glowed with energy as they ran towards eachother. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, as they drew their swords back for the final attack. When they made contact with eachother, a massive burst of bright white energy erupted, their power clashing as the two friends made their final strike.

When the light subsided, Hitsugaya and Hinamori stood close to eachother, staring into eachother's eyes. There was a tense moment of silence. Suddenly, Hinamori regurgitated blood, gasping in pain. Looking down, she saw that Hitsugaya's blade had gone straight through her stomach. She looked back up at Hitsugaya, her eyes wide with pain as blood trickled from her mouth.

"Damn…you…Toushiro…"

* * *

Thanks for reading. Thank you to PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Assault Godzilla, Jaybird4909, Merciless Ruby, DW64, Instant Classic Superstar, SunsetRainbow, animelover24271, snoopypet, Scarlette Shizuru, AizenVKai, and shortliketoshiro for reviewing. Please review!


	40. Chapter 39

Darkness

_Chapter 39_

Hitsugaya withdrew his sword from Hinamori. She swayed for a moment before collapsing onto her knees. Blood soaked her robes as she stared up at her old friend, her eyes wide with pain.

"It's over, Momo," Hitsugaya said, "Your evil has come to an end."

"Toushiro…you…urgh…" she groaned, clutching her stomach. The band across her wrist was now gone due to her weakened state.

"You were my friend Momo, I loved you more than anyone else," Hitsugaya said, "Couldn't you see how much I cared for you? Didn't you realize that I would have done anything to protect you?"

"I…don't need your pity," Hinamori said shakily, "You're as good as dead anyways. Aizen knew thay you would come, and prepared a trap for you. The others you sent are probably already dead, and it looks like your allies here are also goners. You have no way of getting out of this. Even if you beat me, you are doomed!"

"We shall see about that," Hitsugaya said, still panting heavily from the wounds he sustained during his fight. Hinamori glared at him.

"Stop acting all high and mighty," she growled, leaning on her sword, "This isn't over yet." She grunted and forced herself onto her feet, standing up extremely shakily and using her sword to help herself stand up.

"Stop this Momo! The fight is over; you lost," Hitsugaya said.

"No…this isn't over…it will never be over…" she growled.

"Momo, stop-"

"Shut up!" Hinamori yelled, "I…I hate you Toushiro…I hate you! You think you've won? Ha! That is just like you! This battles not over…not yet. There's no going back for me, I'll fight to the end." She weakly raised her zanpakuto to attack, but immediately stumbled forward, clutching the wound on her stomach.

"You…you're still going to die…" Hinamori said, "Be it by Aizen's hand or by starvation, you will definitely die…"

Suddenly, with a huge crash, the ceiling caved in, sending chunks of rock falling to the floor. A giant figure leapt down, crashing right nearby. When the dust cleared, it was revealed to be Sajin Komamura with Isane Kotetsu sitting on his shoulder.

"Y-you…" Hinamori said in shock, "What are you doing? How did he escape?"

"I let him out," Isane said, leaping down, "I realized that you weren't going to protect my division no matter what I did."

"So you betrayed me…just like everyone else," Hinamori muttered, shaking in rage.

"Kotetsu, heal Abarai and Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said, ignoring Hinamori, "They need medical attention."

"Yes sir!" Isane said, running off to help them.

"Don't you run away from me!" Hinamori yelled, "You betrayed me, just like all the others! But that won't do you any good! The voornx cloning labs are automated, they will start creating and releasing the creatures anyways! Nothing you've done will change anything, the Shinigami will still be eradicated!"

"No, they won't actually," a melancholy voice said. Hinamori froze and turned to see Nemu walking forward from the shadows. Behind her were Iba, Ikkaku, and Orihime.

"What's going on?" Hinamori asked, her eyes wide in panic, "What's going on? What are those two doing with you? Who gave you permission to summon that girl?"

"I helped them destroy the cloning labs and all genetic information pertaining to the voornx, as well as killing all the remaining subjects," Nemu said in her dull, emotionless voice.

"You what?!!" Hinamori screamed, "How dare you! You've ruined everything! How dare you let them trick you into something like that!"

"No, I chose it on my own," Nemu said, "It was my own choice."

"Choice? You don't have a choice! I own your life, you can only follow me!" Hinamori yelled.

"You're wrong," Nemu said quietly, "I realized that I am free to make my own decisions now. I am not an object to be used." Shaking in rage, Hinamori screamed.

"Even someone with no free will betrayed me! This is impossible! Everything…everything I've worked so hard to achieve…Damn you all!!!" Hinamori screamed. She turned to Toushiro, shaking in madness.

"You…" she clenched her fist, shaking in rage, "I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!" The band again emerged from her wrist, fueled by her anger.

"Stop this Momo! Your body can't take using that thing anymore!"

"Die!!!" she screamed, charging at Hitsugaya. She ran at him, seemingly in slow motion, her sword raised for attack. Her mind was a fuzzy blur, consumed with rage and anger.

The next thing she knew Toushiro was behind her and she was looking at her bleeding stump of an arm. After a moment of shocked silence, she let out an earpiercing scream, collapsing to the floor. On the ground nearby, the band that gave her such incredible power dissolved into mist, leaving behind her severed arm still clutching the sword.

Hinamori stared in shock at the remnants of her arm, cut off below the elbow. She suddenly clutched her earlier wound, couphing blood onto the floor. Blood from her wounds pooled around her, soaking her robes. She was still for a moment before wailing.

"Why? Why is this happening to me? Everything…everything I've done is for nothing! No…No! I refuse to believe it! No, no no!" she sobbed as she lay on the ground, "This is impossible! This can't be happening! My entire life has been destroyed already, now the new life I've created has been destroyed too! I…I hate you all! Shinigami, Aizen, Toushiro, I hate you! I hate everything in this whole damn world!"

Orihime and Isane had healed Renji and Matsumoto, and now they all stood over the fallen Hinamori as she shook and sobbed on the ground.

"We should go, Aizen is probably already fighting the others," Matsumoto said quietly.

"I'll show you the path out of here," Nemu said. They turned to leave, but Hitsugaya stayed behind for a moment, watching Hinamori shake and sob on the ground. She wouldn't live much longer, her death was absolutely certain at this point. She was in such a pitiful state…it would be a mercy to kill her.

Toushiro Hitsugaya did not feel at all merciful today.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Thank you to SunsetRaibow, Assault Godzilla, animelover24271, Jaybird4909, InheriWriter, Merciless Ruby, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, shortliketoshiro, AznVKai, Full Shadow Alchemist, DW64, and Watermelon Pie for reviewing. Please review!


	41. Chapter 40

Darkness

_Chapter 40_

Aizen smiled evilly at his opponents.

"I must commend you all. I am most surprised to see that you were able to beat Tousen, Barragan, and Halibel, but your luck has come to an end. You have as good as lost this battle."

"Not yet…not by a long shot…" Ichigo said. Ichigo, Ukitake, and Byakuya were all that remained of the attack force. Gin and Aizen stood with swords drawn, Aizen unhurt and Gin suffering only minor injuries. Kyouraku was out cold from Aizen's attacks, and Yoruichi had been defeated by Aizen's black coffin kido spell. The situation seemed hopeless. Aizen was a complete monster in battle, and his zanpakuto ability made it nearly impossible to harm him.

"You have fought bravely, but it is time for you to admit defeat," Aizen said, "A good warrior knows when to give up."

"A good warrior knows when giving up isn't an option," Ichigo retorted.

"Well it looks like that isn't working out so well for you," Aizen said, "This will be the end for all of you."

Suddenly there was a huge crash, and a massive skeletal snake lunged at Aizen. Aizen raised his arm and blocked the strike with his bare hand. He looked beyond the settling dust, mild amusement on his face. Hitsugaya, Komamura, Matsumoto, Isane, Nemu, Renji, Iba, and Ikkaku stood defiantly before him.

"Oh my, it seems they got past the girl," Gin said.

"Aizen…you're going to pay for what you've done," Hitsugaya said angrily, his sword already drawn.

"And what would that be?" Aizen asked politely but mockingly.

"Everything! What you've done to Seireitei, to your fellow Shinigami, and…what you did to Hinamori!" Hitsugaya said angrily.

"What I did to her? Are you sure you want to be angry at me? She was the one who betrayed you after all," Aizen said politely, "Everything she did was on her own free will."

"You manipulated her and turned her into something she's not! You ruined her!" Hitsugaya yelled, "I swear, I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do."

"Now, now, think of what you're saying for a moment. Three much more powerful shinigami than yourself or any of the rest of you stand before me weakened and near defeat. Do you think for even a moment that you have any chance?" Aizen said derisively.

"I'll stop you no matter what," Hitsugaya growled.

"Your battle is over anyways," Matsumoto said, "Without Hinamori, you can't transport your harvester to Rukongai. Without that providing power for your machine, you won't be able to open a gate to the dimension of the Spirit King."

"That is of no concern. Since Momo Hinamori can no longer perform the task of transporting the harvester, I'll just keep it here, and vaporize Seireitei for the power needed," Aizen said.

"What? You intend to destroy the Shinigami to fulfill your goals?" Komamura said angrily, "Do you have any idea what that will mean? You will disrupt the natural order of everything!"

"I'm getting tired of talking to you," Aizen said. Suddenly he appeared behind them. Iba, Ikkaku, and Isane fell to the ground, struck while under hypnosis. Hitsugaya and Komamura lunged at him, only for him to disappear before their eyes, reappearing behind Matsumoto, who fell to the ground moments later. His power of hypnosis was nearly unstoppable. The image of Aizen again disappeared. There was a tense silence. Suddenly Hitsugaya's sharp senses detected something, and he raised his sword to block a strike from Aizen just as he reappeared.

"Oh, it seems you've been getting better," Aizen said in amusement, "But that's really not enough."

"Aizen!" Komamura roared, bringing his sword down on the former captain. Aizen easily blocked the strike, and with one hand delivered a powerful blow that sent Komamura flying. Hitsugaya attempted to slash at Aizen from behind, but he easily blocked it.

"You seem to have not lost any of your fighting spirit despite the overwhelming odds against you. But I think I know of a way to break that spirit," Aizen said. He disappeared again, this time appearing over the fallen Matsumoto. He raised his sword above her, preparing to stab her as she lay on the ground.

"Wait, stop!" Hitsugaya yelled. He ran forwards, but knew he wouldn't make it in time. Just as Aizen's sword was coming down however, another blade forced Aizen's sword to the side.

Gin Ichimaru stood in front of Aizen, his sword having pushed Aizen's to the side, saving Matsumoto.

"Gin, what is the meaning of this," Aizen said calmly.

"I'm sorry Capn' Aizen, I can't let ya kill Rangiku," Gin said, his usual smile still in place but a more serious tone to his voice.

"I see. Am I to understand that this means that you are betraying me?" Aizen asked.

"I suppose so," Gin said.

"How unfortunate," Aizen said. He suddenly appeared at Gin's side, his sword impaling Gin's body.

"Well…I guess this is it for me…" Gin said with one last smirk, "But before I go…" he suddenly grabbed Aizen's zanpakuto. There was a green flash of light, and for a moment Aizen's zanpakuto glowed before returning to normal. Aizen withdrew his sword from Gin, examining it.

"I see, so you sealed my hypnosis powers," Aizen said, "It was very clever of you, and I'm certainly impressed that you managed to accomplish such a feat, but it won't help the others in their struggle. I guess I'll have to get serious now."

---

Hinamori lay still on the ground, blood pooling around her. She couldn't move at all. Her entire body hurt and her arms and legs were numb from blood loss. The pain was unbearable. It felt as if her entire body were being torn apart. Was this the end for her? Would she die here, alone and friendless?

With all of her strength, she used her remaining hand to grip the floor and tried to drag herself forward, but was unable to move an inch. She took shallow gasps of air as her unmoving body lay on the ground. A tear trickled down her cheek. This couldn't be happening. She had been broken and destroyed three times now. She had been betrayed by everyone. There was not a being in the universe who cared for her right now. Now she would die completely alone.

As she lay on the ground, her half open eyes saw several shadows approaching. Her blurry mind was unable to react to it; she merely lay where she was and stared. As a result of blood loss, her vision was blurry, but the blurry shadows morphed into familiar figures before her eyes. The figures of Nelani, Soi Fon, Yumichika, and Izuru stood before her.

"Vice-captain Hinamori, why did it have to end up like this? Why did you have to put everyone, including yourself, through this nightmare?" Nelani asked.

"I told you that it would end like this," Soi Fon said, "You have nothing but your own actions to blame. That device of yours ate away at your body and sanity until you had nothing left."

"What a shame, you were always so beautiful," Yumichika said, "Looks like you've thrown that away though."

"Momo, I don't know what Aizen did to get you to his side, but you've betrayed all of your friends and allies. In the end, a fate like this was unavoidable. Your friends cared about you Momo, why did you abandon them?" Izuru said.

Hinamori attempted to yell at them, to curse them for their mockery of her, but she could barely make a sound.

"I devoted my entire life to you Vice-captain Hinamori! Why did you have to do this? Why did you have to hurt everyone?" Nelani said, "The Vice-captain Hinamori I knew would never do anything like what you've been doing."

"You've really lost it all. You've lost your mind, your friends, your power, everything, and you have no one to blame for it but yourself," Soi Fon said coldly.

"Crazy is not beautiful," Yumichika said, "You've exchanged sanity and friendship for power, and now you've lost that."

"Momo, your friends were there for you, always ready to look out for you. Captain Hitsugaya, Renji, Rangiku, myself…we all cared about you. You were the ones who turned your back on us and embraced evil," Izuru said.

"Shut…shut up…" Hinamori whispered, her voice a hoarse whisper, "All of you…shut up!"

The images of the people she killed disappeared, and the shadowy figures moved closer until they came into full view. Hinamori could not help but smirk a little bit when she realized what was really approaching her. Four voornx walked into her field of vision, their jaws snapping in anticipation. So this was it. She would end up as a meal for beasts of her own creation.

"Go ahead…" she whispered at the creatures, "Do it, I have nothing more to live for…"

As the creatures approached her, Hinamori suddenly felt strange, as if she were falling. Everything around her began to change, becoming nothingness before her eyes. Everything around her was completely dark. She continued to lay on the floor, but it was not the same floor she had been lying on moments before. It was as if she were in a place without gravity yet still inexplicably stuck to the floor. Her senses returned, and she was able to fully feel the pain of her body, as well as a sense of fear and dread.

What was this place? She looked around but could see nothing, only inky blackness. She forced herself to move a bit. What was going on? Her body and mind were functioning in a more normal fashion now, but the pain was multiplied tenfold. Everything about her was immersed in both physical pain and psychological terror. She could feel cold sweat forming on the back of her neck. Where was she? Was she dead? No, that couldn't be it. But what was it? What was this cold, dreadful feeling that encroached upon her very soul?

"_Do you like it?" _A familiar sinister voice hissed. Hinamori turned her head to see the horrific creature that had stalked her nightmares before appear in front of her. The long, deer like legs, the hideous hairless skin stretched across a skeletal frame, and the jaws full of needle sharp teeth were all just as she remembered. She began subconciously shaking in fear.

"Y-you…" Hinamori whispered, now able to speak but still unbelievably weak.

"_This is your new home," _the creature hissed.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Hinamori asked.

"_The price for my helping you."_

"Helping me? You…you ruined my life! You tricked me! You manipulated me! You completely destroyed everything I thought I knew!"

"_Everything you did was of your own will. The anger and bitterness you felt was yours, I just helped it along. Do you not still feel the same hatred and anger that caused you to turn on your former friends? You needed power and I gave you a means to fully access your power. Are you regretting what you did you your old friends now? Do you feel guilty for what you have done?"_

"No…I mean, yes…no! I…I don't know!" Hinamori said quickly, "But…I didn't mean to like…yes I was angry at everything and felt betrayed, but you tricked me into doing what I did!"

"_You did everything yourself. Every atrocity you committed was your doing, not mine. It's too late to feel guilty about it, now you will pay the price for the power I granted you. This empty void is where you will remain for all eternity."_

"What?!!" Hinamori said in a panic, "How…no, that can't be!"

"_It's the price you must pay. You will remain here alone and friendless for every remaining second of existence," _the creature said, _"You will feel pain and despair unlike any other, and your screams will go unheard."_

"No…no, this isn't supposed to happen!" Hinamori screamed, shaking in fear, "Please! Stop this! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything I've done! Please, stop this!"

"_It's too late to beg for mercy, your fate has been sealed,"_ the creature hissed, walking stealthily forwards.

"No, stay back! Somebody help me! Please! I'm sorry! Toushiro, Rangiku, Renji, Nelani, Izuru! I'm sorry! Somebody! Help me! No…no…no! Help!" Hinamori screamed hysterically as the creature advanced on her.

Suddenly a burst of pink light came from her body, and the strange creature dissolved into nothingness. Hinamori looked on in astonishment as from the light appeared a familiar figure she thought she'd never see again.

"T-Tobiume?"

* * *

Thank you for reading! Thank you to Assault Godzilla, Merciless Ruby, snoopypet, shortliketoshiro, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Jaybird4909, AznVKai, DW64, WatermelonPie, animelover24271, and Dwellin for reviewing! I'm going to have to start writing faster if I want to meet my goal of finishing by May 1st, so I'd appreciate reviews to help keep me motivated! Please review!


	42. Chapter 41

Darkness

_Chapter 41_

Hitsugaya lunged at Aizen, his bankai activated. Aizen casually turned to the side, dodging the strike, and slashed off one of his ice wings in the same movement. Moments later Renji struck with his Bankai, but with a single blow from Aizen's sword the giant bankai was shattered, and Renji was left with no means of defense. Smirking, Aizen raised his sword in preparationg to finish him off, but Hitsugaya leapt forward to stop him, blocking Aizen's strike.

"Abarai, get out of here, there's nothing else you can do."

"Sorry," Renji hastily said, running behind a pile of rubble where Orihime also was seeking shelter. Hitsugaya kept his guard up, careful not to give Aizen a chance to go after the others while they were incapacitated. Orihime was watching after Isane, Iba, Ikkaku, and Matsumoto, who were incapacitated by Aizen's earlier attacks. All that remained of them that was able to fight were Hitsugaya, Byakuya, Ichigo, Ukitake, and Komamura. Despite their superior numbers, they proved to only barely be enough of a match to hold of Aizen, and even a slight shift in the odds of the battle could turn the tide against them. Hitsugaya continued to block Aizen from reaching his wounded comrades, while the others circled around Aizen.

"You've gotten better since the last time we fought," Aizen commented, "The last time we fought, you were taken down with a single strike."

"Shut up," Hitsugaya growled, the ice wing slowly reforming, "I've gotten a lot stronger since then, and since you can't use your hypnosis, you've gotten weaker."

"Oh? And you think that just because my hypnosis is no longer active you can beat me? I think you'll see that I'm still more than a match for all of you," Aizen said, putting his hand forward, "Hado number 4, Byakurai!"

An arc of lightning burst forth from each of Aizen's fingers rather than the usual single finger. Hitsugaya leapt out of the way, his half reformed ice wings helping to propel him away. Komamura and Ukitake attempted to attack together from behind, but Aizen reached his hand out behind him just as they did so.

"Bakudo 85, Sealing Prison Walls!" he said. Five walls of energy appeared around Ukitake and Komamura, boxing them in.

"That should hold you for a while. I'll get back to you later after I've finished with these other ones," Aizen said, turning to Hitsugaya, Ichigo, and Byakuya, who were now all that was left.

"Aizen…" Hitsugaya growled.

"Keep steady, we must attack carefully," Byakuya said, "Captain Hitsugaya, you watch his left flank. Kurosaki, circle around to the right. I'll take the center." Ichigo and Hitsugaya immediately took the positions Byakuya instructed, slowly advancing on him.

Putting his attack plan into action, Byakuya shunpoed behind Aizen. Aizen immediately turned to block Byakuya's attack, easily blocking it. Ichigo and Hitsugaya immediately leapt into action, taking advantage of the gap in Aizen's defense. Aizen pivoted in place, slashing at them, driving them back but not before Ichigo's bankai clipped the edge of Aizen's hair. Byakuya struck again from behind, but Aizen again blocked it, this time striking back, slashing Byakuya across the chest. He immediately retreated, the wounds not deep but bleeding heavily. Hitsugaya and Ichigo simultaneously attacked, but Aizen masterfully deflected their blows.

"You stand no chance of defeating me," Aizen said, "You are nothing short of pathetic."

"Aizen!" Hitsugaya growled, thrusting his sword forward. Aizen turned to the side, dodging the strike, smirking evilly.

"Hado number 90, bla-"

Byakuya leapt into action, interrupting the deadly Kido spell. Aizen brought his sword up to block his strike, stopping the recitation of the Kido spell. Byakuya and Aizen's blades were locked for a moment. Aizen glanced down at Byakuya's stance and smirked. With a wide, powerful slash, he cut Byakuya across the stomach, grievously wounding him.

"Hado 1, Sho!" Aizen thrust his palm forwards, and Byakuya flew backwards as if hit by a huge, invisible force, crashing into the rubble behind him.

Hitsugaya flew forward on his ice-wings to attack, but in a single movement, Aizen Slashed off one of his ice-wings and simultaneously cutting deep into his shoulder and upper chest. Hitsugaya staggered backwards, attempting to still maintain a defensive stance despite his weakened state. Hoping to protect Hitsugaya from further attack, Ichigo rushed forwards, sword drawn. Aizen grabbed Ichigo by the wrist midway through the hastily executed attack, effortlessly throwing him to the side like a rag doll.

Aizen watched as Ichigo got back to his feet, breathing heavily. He moved to help guard Hitsugaya's side. Aizen then looked past them, a look of mild surprise and amusement spreading across his face.

"Well look who it is," he chuckled. Hitsugaya turned slightly, and his eyes widened. Momo Hinamori stood in the rubble behind them, using her sword to hold herself up like a walking stick.

Hitsugaya stared in shock at her. He couldn't believe that she was still alive, let alone moving. Had she been healed? No, he could still see the horrible wounds inflicted on her by his own hands. The stab wound on her stomach, the slashes across her chest, and the missing right hand were just as they were when he left her on the ground and her robes were still soaked with blood. How was she able to even move, when by all acounts her wounds were fatal? Equally troubling for Hitsugaya, there was something different about her from before, though he couldn't figure out what it was.

Hinamori hobbled forward, her body swaying heavily as she moved but her eyes full of determination. Leaning on her sword, she pointed two fingers at Ichigo and Hitsugaya.

"Bakudo 61, Six Rods of Light!" she said. Six thin beams of light immediately slammed into both Hitsugaya and Ichigo's midsections, pinning them in place. Hinamori slowly raised her left hand as she leaned on her sword.

"Stop!" Hitsugaya yelled at her.

"Hado 31, Shakkaho!" A blast of red energy shot from her hand, but instead of hitting the trapped Ichigo and Hitsugaya, it crashed into Aizen, creating a huge explosion. Hitsugaya watched Hinamori in shock as she breathed heavily. What was going on? Which side was she on?

"So you've betrayed me?" Aizen said, the smoke clearing to reveal him as unharmed.

"No…" Hinamori whispered, grabbing her sword and slowly walking forward, "I'm returning to the side I should have been on in the first place. I'm going to fight you Aizen…"

"Fight me? Look at yourself, you're half dead! There's no way you could even hope to fight against me!" Aizen scoffed.

"That-that's true," Hinamori said weakly, "But I'm not alone. I have an old ally to help me. I'm going to stop you, even if it costs me my life." Hitsugaya suddenly realized what was different about Hinamori. A faint, almost invisible, pink glow covered her, seemingly moving her body for her even as her own natural abilities to due so had been destroyed.

"Momo…" he said, unsure of what was going on.

"I'm sorry, Toushiro," Hinamori said, "I know its unfair of me to request anything of you after what I've done, but please, let me face him alone. I…I need to do this. I have no way of ever truly making up for my crimes, but I can only hope that I can die knowing that I did all I could to fix the mess I helped create." Hitsugaya slowly nodded.

"I understand, Momo," he said, not fully understanding what was going on but nevertheless understanding her sentiments. Hinamori faced Aizen, her zanpakuto in her left hand, her right hand having been severed in her battle with Hitsugaya. Suddenly the faint pink glow around her became more intense, illuminating her body and blowing her hair and robes as if in the wind.

Holding her sword up to attack, she suddenly turned it on herself, the tip pointed at her heart.

"Momo, what are you doing?" Hitsugaya yelled at her as the pink glow around her continued to grow.

"Trust me Toushiro," Hinamori said. With a swift movement, she plunged her own sword into her chest. A blinding flash emanated from ber body, blocking out all visibility for a moment. When the blinding light subsided, all present saw that Hinamori as they knew her was no longer there; in her place a being seemingly made up of energy in the shape of a person. Hitsugaya instinctively knew that it was still Hinamori, but even aside from the radically different appearance, there was something very different about her. The figure was made of bright pink energy in the same shape as Hinamori, but made of intense energy rather than flesh. Her eyes were bright white in contrast her otherwise solidly glowing pink body. Her hair waved around like flames in the wind, and everything about her seemed to emanate power.

"Now Aizen," Hinamori said in a strange voice that sounded like a garbled recording played in an echoing cave, "I will make you pay the price for your crimes, and in doing so pay the price for my own crimes. Prepare yourself."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Thank you to PrincessOfHeartsNYP, SunsetRainbow, Assault Godzilla, snoopypet, WatermelonPie, Merciless Ruby, AznVKai, Full Shadow Alchemist, Scarlette Shizuru, animelover24271, DW64, Pluto's Stars, fanofanime, shortliketoshiro, and Princess Malika for reviewing! If I manage to stick to my current plans, there will be two more chapters and an epilogue. Please review!


	43. Chapter 42

Darkness

_Chapter 42_

_Hinamori stared up at Tobiume standing above her, eyes wide as Tobiume looked down at her sadly. She was exactly as Hinamori remembered her; an identical image of herself with loose hair and a pale blue yukata._

"_T-Tobiume…"_

_Tobiume remained silent. Suddenly Hinamori felt a warm feeling encompassing her, and the infinite darkness she was in reformed itself around her into the familiar sight of her inner world. It was just as it was before, with rows of trees full of pink fruit outlined against the blue sky. Hinamori realized she could move again, and sat up to stare at her surroundings. She saw that her right hand was back and that her wounds were no longer present._

"_I'm healed? How is this possible? What's happening?" Hinamori said, more to herself than to Tobiume._

"_You're not healed. You are only whole in this world; in the other world your body is still largely destroyed," Tobiume said._

"_Then…why did you bring me here? If I'm already as good as dead, why did you bother taking me here? What are you going to do?"_

"_It's not what I am going to do that's the question,it's what you are going to do," Tobiume said._

"_I don't understand," Hinamori said._

"_Before I go any further, let me ask you something," Tobiume said, "What do you think of yourself? Of the crimes you've committed and the friends you've hurt?"_

"_I…I…I don't know," Hinamori said quietly, "I felt so angry and betrayed that I was willing to do anything to get power for revenge, but now I feel like I just made my own situation worse and betrayed others far worse than they betrayed me. I let power, greed, anger, and hatred consume me. I betrayed Toushiro and Rangiku and the others, I helped Aizen, and I created terrible things that would only bring pain to the world. I even killed Nelani. I'm a monster. I'm glad that I'll be dead soon. I don't deserve to live anymore."_

"_Do you want another chance? Do you want an opportunity to make up for your crimes?" Tobiume asked._

"_Yes, but how? My body is ruined, there's no way I can recover, and even if I did there's no way I could ever look anyone in the face again. The best thing I can do right now is lie on the ground and die."_

"_I know of a way you can redeem yourself," Tobiume said quietly. Hinamori looked up at her._

"_How? I'm as good as dead anyways,there's nothing I can do now! Its over! Because of me Aizen will probably win, and everyone will be killed. It's too late for me! What can I possibly do now?"_

"_There is a technique," Tobiume said, "One which will grant you power unlike any other. But this comes at a price. You must be absolutely devoted to fixing your mistakes, and must be prepared to give up everything for this to work. Will you do it?"_

"_Of course," Hinamori said with the first true smile she had in a long time._

Aizen looked at the new form of Hinamori. Her body seemed to be made entirely of intensely bright energy. Her hair had become pink flames, and her eyes appeared bright white against the intense pink body. She no longer seemed to be made of flesh and blood, but rather appeared as a being of pure energy.

"Zanpakuto fusion," Aizen said calmly, "The rare event in which a Shinigami is able to fuse with their zanpakuto. Only a few have ever accomplished it. I never would have though that you of all people would achieve it."

"Aizen," Hinamori said in a strange warped voice, "I will defeat you. Right here, right now, in this very spot. I will make you pay for what you did to me and my friends."

"If I am not mistaken, it was you who hurt your friends the most, not me," Aizen said.

"I know, that's why I must stop you no matter what the cost," Hinamori said. In a burst of energy, she launched herself at Aizen, pink flames trailing behind her as she flew at him. Aizen raised his sword to slash at her, but she moved out of the way while in mid air. She stabbed at Aizen with her hands, now powerful weapons due to the energy they were made of. Aizen dodged the strikes and slashed at Hinamori. She caught the blade with her bare hands, and with a loud yell, kicked Aizen in the chest, sending him flying back. Aizen managed to remain on his feet, the front of his uniform singed by the energy covering Hinamori's body.

"Hado 63, Roaring thunder cannon!" Aizen said. A massive blast of yellow energy shot from his palm. Hinamori raised her hand and caught the massive blast, throwing it to the side. She leapt up into the air and put both hands forward. Two energy balls burst from both palms. Aizen immediately leapt away from the incoming blasts, but the energy balls changed their course to follow him. The energy balls nearly hit him, but he ducked and leapt away, causing them to crash into the ground behind him with a huge explosion.

Hinamori gave him no time to rest, appearing almost instantaneously in front of him and attacking him with thrusts of her arms, now deadly weapons thanks to her fusion with Tobiume. The combination of Hinamori and her zanpakuto made her much faster, stronger, and able to fire and direct energy blasts in the same manner of her zanpakuto. Her body was made up of energy now, and could withstand the counterstrikes of Aizen. She used her arms to both attack and defend.

Hitsugaya watched in astonishment. He was completely confused as to what was happening. How had Hinamori gained this power? How was she even alive? And what had caused her to change her mind and turn on Aizen? He wasn't even sure if what he saw could even be described as Hinamori at all. It was as if her body were nothing more than energy in the shape of a person. He couldn't move due to Hinamori's kido spell, and could only watch as they fought. As he watched, he felt conflicted.

The Hinamori who was now fighting Aizen was the same Hinamori who had betrayed him and all the shinigami, the same person who had murdered a loyal subordinate, the same Hinamori who had helped Aizen create terrible weapons and fight her friends. But it was also the same Hinamori who he grew up with and who he had sworn to protect. Could he really still consider her a friend though? Even if she was fighting Aizen, was she worth feeling anything for? He couldn't bring himself to hate her, but he couldn't bring himself to feel much compassion for his old friend either. She was saving them now, but if they won, could he ever truly look at her in the same light he once had? Could he see her as the same sweet girl he grew up with while knowing of the atrocities she committed? Her committing the good deed of finally opposing Aizen could not make up for the horrible crimes she had committed.

The Hinamori in front of him obviously wanted to make up for what she had done and wished to fight Aizen to pay for her crimes, but would it be enough? Could he ever truly see her as his old friend again? Hitsugaya internally shook himself. Such thought was useless. The battle was not even over yet, it was too early for such thoughts.

Hinamori released a burst of flames from her hand, scorching Aizen's robes as he fought her. She shot flames at his feet, hoping to set him off balance, but he leapt into the air, dodging the strike. Even with her amazing increase in powers, she was just barely a match for him. Aizen was so powerful and so experienced that she needed to constantly be on the offensive to maintain her advantage. She couldn't maintain this state indefinitely, so she had to hurry.

Hinamori released another energy ball, which exploded at point blank range with Aizen, throwing both back but not damaging Hinamori, as her body was already made of energy. Aizen on the other hand had suffered the full force of the blast, and his slicked back hair fell down from the force of the blast. Hinamori launched another energy ball, but this time Aizen was able to dodge it, and it exploded against a wall behind him.

Knowing that she could not hold up her current state much longer, Hinamori prepared for a final attack. Hinamori put both palms out, and energy began charging in her palms. Knowing that she was planning something big, Aizen shunpoed forward and slashed at her, but she didn't raise her arms to block, but merely dodged it as she continued to charge energy. Aizen stabbed and cut at her, but she didn't raise her arms to guard, continuing to dodge the strikes as she charged energy in her hands. When she was ready, she leapt back and released the attack.

A massive blast of pink energy shot from her hands with a tremendous roar. The blast completely engulfed Aizen. The energy blast continued in a continuous stream of energy. The sheer energy and power of the blast created immense shockwaves throughout the area, and the brightness caused all who were watching to turn their eyes away from the massive blast of energy. The air became heated from the intensity of the blast, and the roar was deafening. Finally, the discharge of energy stopped, and the superheated air and smoke began to subside.

As the smoke and ash from the blast settled, the outline of Aizen became visible. He was panting, and the outer portions of his robes had been completely blown away. He was glaring at Hinamori, his eyes full of rage and his normally calm expression hardened.

"You used a barrier to block part of my attack," Hinamori noted in her warped voice, "It was quick thinking, but it looks like it tired you out and was unable to deflect the entire attack."

"Silence," Aizen growled. He raised his sword and flash-stepped behind Hinamori, bringhing his sword down on her. She easily blocked it with one hand, using the other hand to deliver a blow to his chest that sent him flying backwards. She extended her fingers, small flames coming from them. She swiped her fingers across the air, turning the flames into long energy ropes. She lashed the ropes forward, where they entangled Aizen's arms and legs.

"Aizen, this is the end for you," Hinamori said. She rushed forward, her hand drawn back for a final strike.

Suddenly, just as she leapt at Aizen for her final attack, the pink glow around Hinamori stopped, and she returned to her normal state. She crashed to the ground, back to her regular form, and still grievously wounded from her earlier battle.

Aizen broke away from Hinamori's entangling ropes and walked over to where Hinamori lay panting and gasping for breath, her body pushed to its absolute limits. He placed his sword at her throat, preparing to behead her.

Before he could do so however, two blades intercepted his. Hitsugaya and Ichigo stood before him, blades drawn. Now that Hinamori was in such a weakened state, the Kido spells binding them were no longer in effect.

"You're protecting her?" Aizen said with amusement, "After all she's done?"

"Regardless of what she's done, I won't let her die by your hand," Hitsugaya said. He and Ichigo attacked, putting the weakened Aizen on the defensive. They cut and slashed at him, with him blocking or dodging their strikes. Aizen slashed at Hitsugaya, who used his short stature to his advantage, ducking the blow. Meanwhile Ichigo was able to land a shallow cut on Aizen's side, taking advantage of the opening Hitsugaya had created.

They fought masterfully, but Aizen was beginning to regain his strength. After a powerful slash forced Hitsugaya back, Aizen blocked a strike from Ichigo, kicking him in the stomach moments later and sending him flying.

"Bakudo 61, Six Rods of Light!" Aizen said. Six beams of light slammed into Hitsugaya's midsection, paralyzing him where he stood. Aizen raised his sword, preparing to stab him while he was disabled and Ichigo too far away to help. Hitsugaya struggled against the Kido spell, but was unable to move as Aizen drew his sword back and plunged it forward.

The blade stopped an inch from Hitsugaya's face. Hitsugaya stared in complete shock at what had happened. Momo Hinamori stood between Aizen and Hitsugaya, impaled on Aizen's sword.

* * *

Thanks for reading. Thank you to Instant Classic Superstar Pac, DW64, SunsetRainbow, AznVKai, Assault Godzilla, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, Dwellin, Merciless Ruby, Momo21, snoopypet, shortliketoshiro, WatermelonPie, animelover24271, and Princess Malika for reviewing! Just one more chapter left, then the epilogue! Please review!


	44. Chapter 43

Darkness

_Chapter 43_

Hinamori stood between Toushiro and Aizen, impaled on Aizen's sword. The blade went completely through her, piercing her spine and going through her back. Hinamori went limp for a moment, slumping forward and not moving.

"Stupid girl," Aizen muttered. He began to withdraw the sword from her, but she reached up with her left hand and grabbed the sword by the blade, stopping him from pulling it out. She slowly raised her head, a look of determination in her pained eyes. Aizen again tried to pull the sword out, but despite gripping the blade so tightly that her hand was being sliced open, she did not let go. Panting and gasping in pain, Hinamori began to speak.

"Bakuto number…Bakuto Number 4! Hainawa!" An energy rope materialized, completely entwining both herself and Aizen. Aizen looked at her with disdain.

"You should learn when to stay down," he said. Hinamori began coughing and choking on her own blood as it filled her lungs. She stayed standing however, and began reciting something else.

"Clouds part to reveal light…Dar…darkness flees the oncoming brightness…Lone candle drives away the blackness. Light…light…," Hinamori coughed and gasped for breath, blood trickling from her mouth, "Light of justice pierces evil. Hado Number 99, Heavenly Blades of Judgement!"

Time itself seemed to stop for a moment, everything becoming still. A bright light flashed, the entire area being illuminated by the flash. Five balls of light appeared, hovering in the air around Aizen and Hinamori. They circled them, slowly lengthening into long thin swords made of bright white energy, their intensity making them difficult to even look at directly. After a moment of staying completely still, the swords impaled Aizen from all sides. Aizen gave Hinamori a glare of utmost hatred.

"Curse you…" he growled. Bright light began to spread across Aizen's body from the wounds. Soon, his entire body was covered in the glowing white light. With a bright flash, Aizen burst into sparkling dust.

Unable to remain standing anymore, Hinamori collapsed, landing on her side, Aizen's sword still piercing her stomach. Hitsugaya rushed forward, Aizen's Kido spell broken. He knelt down next to Hinamori, looking her in the eyes. They weren't the eyes he had seen earlier though; they were her old soft brown eyes that he had known growing up.

They stared into eachother's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. The old friends turned enemies turned allies didn't know what to say to eachother, and could only look into eachother's eyes. They paid no attention that Ichigo, Byakuya, Orihime, and the others were watching them from a distance.

"Momo…" he said slowly, "Why did you do that?"

"Toushiro, I…" Hinamori broke off with a loud cough. Hitsugaya winced at the horrible sound of his old friend in pain.

"Momo, just wait a moment, let me get rid of this thing," Hitsugaya said, gripping the hilt of Aizen's sword. He slowly pulled the sword from her, causing her to groan in pain. When he had fully removed the sword, he ripped off a piece of his robes, pressing it against her wounds in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Toushiro…" Hinamori said weakly, her voice barely a whisper, "Could you…could you bring me closer to you?" Hitsugaya nodded, carefully sliding an arm under her and lifting her up so that their faces were closer together. He held a hand behind head as he cradled her in his arms. She was limp and covered in blood, but her eyes looked up at him with intense emotion.

"Toushiro…I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything Toushiro, everything I've done. I don't know how I let myself become such a monster. I…I'm despicable. You must completely hate me."

"I could never hate you, Momo," Hitsugaya said, "No matter what you did, I simply could not hate you." Tears formed in Hinamori's eyes.

"I…I'm sorry!" she cried, "Toushiro, I'm so so sorry! I…I don't know how you can look at me without hatred and revulsion."

"You stopped Aizen," Hitsugaya said, "I don't know what happened, but you're different from before. You're the same Hinamori I grew up with. You're the same Hinamori I've always known. You weren't yourself when you were doing those things."

"No…I was myself," Hinamori said, "I let my anger, bitterness, and greed take advantage of me, and I let myself turn into a complete monster. I…I deserve this fate. I deserve death…"

"No! Momo, listen to me! Don't give up hope! You're going to live!" Hitsugaya said, "I promise you, I won't let you die!"

"But I want to die," Hinamori said quietly, "I fully deserve it after what I've done."

"Don't talk like that!" Hitsugaya said, a note of panic in his voice, "I won't lose you, I won't let you die! I…I couldn't live with myself if I stood here and let you die. I'm going to save you Momo!"

"Toushiro…thank you so much, but it's too late. I'm…I'm going to die anyways at this rate. Besides, even if I survived I wouldn't be cleared of all the horrible things I've done. Even discounting the fact that I would be jailed or executed, I don't think I could ever look you or anybody else in the eyes again. This…this is for the best… Death is the best thing for me."

"Fine, then I'll die too!" Hitsugaya said, clutching Hinamori closely, his eyes wide, "I'll die with you!"

"Don't you dare Toushiro," Hinamori said, her weak voice turning serious, "You still have much to live for…don't you even think like that. I don't want you to have the same fate as me. I deserve this, you deserve to live and be happy.

"Momo…I don't want to lose you again," Hitsugaya said. Hinamori smiled up at him.

"I'm sorry Toushiro," she said, "I'm…I'm really glad to…" she broke off, breathing heavily and wincing in pain.

"Momo!" Hitsugaya said, holding her close to him, "Hang on Momo! Don't die yet!" Hinamori opened her eyes a little, a faint smile on her lips.

"I'm really happy…" she said, "I'm really happy to be with you again. You were the best friend I've ever had. I'm so glad I was able to meet someone as wonderful as you…I'm so glad…"

Hitsugaya suddenly embraced her, holding her against him. Tears were forming in his eyes. He tried to remain strong, but they refused to go away. His fingers stroked her soft hair as he held her, her shallow breath tickling his neck.

"Momo…you were always my best friend too. You were the best thing to ever happen to me. No matter what, I'll always consider you a friend," Hitsugaya whispered into her ear.

"Thank you…Toushiro…" Hinamori whispered, her voice extremely weak, "I…I'm so happy right now. Goodbye…Toushiro…"

Hitsugaya continued holding her, tears flowing down his cheeks. He could feel her breath getting shallower and shallower as she breathed against his neck. Finally, the breathing ceased, and Hinamori went limp in his arms.

* * *

Thank you for reading. That's the last full chapter, now there's just the epilogue. Thank you to Assault Godzilla, AznVKai, DW64, Momo21, PrincessOfHeartsNYP, shortliketoshiro, Merciless Ruby, animelover24271, Jaybird4909, Dwellin, and Princess Malika for reviewing! Please review!


	45. Epilogue

_A/N_: This is it, the epilogue to the story Darkness. I began writing this story just before entering my first year of college, and now I post the final piece of it on the day I go home. Today is a pretty good day for me; it's both my birthday, the day I come home from college, and the day I finish this story that I've worked on for so long. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited the story, I couldn't have made it this far without your support.

Darkness

_Epilogue_

"Captain! We're running out of funding again, we're going to need to take out another loan!"

"What? But I just balanced the budget two weeks ago! We should have plenty of money!"

"Yeah, well there were unforeseen expenses."

"You just used the money to buy snacks and sake didn't you?"

Eight months had passed since Aizen had been defeated, and things were more or less returning to normal. Divisions were reorganized and the infrastructure of Seireitei had to be completely redone, but day to day life was beginning to return to the way it had been before the war with Aizen. Divisions were going about their regular business again, standard operations had resumed, and the Shinigami had begun returning to their typical daily lives.

Due to the destruction of the Gotei 13's infrastructure, divisions were reorganized, and every available resource was being used to rebuild. The Third, Fifth, Eleventh, and Twelfth. Divisions were dissolved, and their remaining members transferred to other divisions. Ukitake became the Captain-commander of the Gotei 13, and Yoruichi had been allowed to assume leadership of second division, and Ikakku became captain of the Eleventh Division, having revealed his knowledge of bankai. Recently, Hisagi, who had been discovered imprisoned, had become captain of the Ninth Division. The shattered forces of Seireitei were beginning to reform.

After Aizen was defeated, the only major remaining member of Aizen's army was Stark, who almost immediately agreed to withdraw all occupying arrancar forces from Seireitei. Through negotiations with Stark, the number of hollow attacks coming from Hueco Mundo dramatically shrank. Stark was now the leader of the most advanced hollows, and he had ordered them to avoid any further conflict. This proved to be very useful as Seireitei rebuilt.

"C'mon Captain, cut me some slack! We don't need that much more money, just ask Captain-commander Ukitake for the transfer of new funds," Matsumoto said.

"Fine, I'll go ask for more funds, but no more frivolous spending," Hitsugaya said sternly.

"Aye-aye Captain!" Matsumoto said energetically.

"You're drunk right now, aren't you?" Hitsugaya said irritably.

"Uhhhhhhh…yes, yes I am," Matsumoto said. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes and left.

---

Hitsugaya walked down the street towards the First Division headquarters, brooding even as other Shinigami greeted and bowed to him. He had been like this ever since the war had ended. As others looked forward to the future, he could not help but look back to the past. Every day he wondered if there was something he could have done to save Hinamori, if there was some way he could have stopped her before it was too late. He knew it was unhealthy to obsess over such things, but he could not help it. Hinamori was his best friend in the world, the one person who he truly felt any strong emotions for. Now that he had lost her he had become detached from reality, doing nothing but focusing on his work.

Before he knew it, he was already at First Division headquarters. He walked in and immediately went to Ukitake's office. He knocked on the door, coming in moments later. Ukitake looked up from paperwork, the uniform of the Captain Commander draped over his shoulders.

"Ah, Captain Hitsugaya! What can I do for you?" he said in a friendly tone.

"I'd like to request a transfer in division funding. We've had a bit of…difficulty maintaining our budget," Hitsugaya said. Ukitake gave him a knowing smile and nodded.

"Very well, I'll transfer funds to your division as soon as I can. By the way, are you okay?" Ukitake asked.

"Of course Captain-commander," Hitsugaya said.

"Are you sure? You've become colder and colder lately," Ukitake said, "You seem to be brooding over something."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Hitsugaya said quietly.

"Would you like to visit _her_?" Ukitake said abruptly, "I can arrange for a leave of absence so you can go to Rukongai."

"Thank you for the offer, but I can't ask something like that from you. I am needed at my division."

"I insist," Ukitake said, "I can tell that you've been thinking of nothing else for these past eight months. I'll cover for you so you won't be behind on your work."

"Very well, if you wish for me to go, then I will do so Captain-commander," Hitsugaya said. He paused for a moment before quietly adding, "Thank you, sir."

----

Hitsugaya walked through the streets of Rukongai. The local residents gave him curious looks but did not stop him. Children ran by, not paying attention to the shinigami captain who was no older than they were. They probably thought he was just a kid playing Shinigami, not a real one. The place brought back memories of his time in Rukongai as a child. Back then it was always Hinamori who would look out for him and accompany him everywhere. The dirt streets and wooden houses brought back many memories of them playing on these very same streets. He recalled playing hide and seek with Hinamori in the old houses and scrubby bushes and trees scattered around the place.

Finally, he arrived at his destination. It was the old house that he and Hinamori used to live in. He walked up to the door and slowly opened it. The door creaked as he entered. The place was rather run down and covered in dust and cobwebs. He looked around the place with a longing sense of nostalgia. He made his way through the house until he was at the other side. He walked out the back door and into the area behind the house.

He looked over the place, covered in weeds and wildflowers. There were a few bushes and shrubs, but the main feature of the place was a large peach tree, which was currently in full bloom. He walked up to the base of the tree, gazing at a small elevated patch of earth. This was where Hinamori was buried. After the war, it was decided not to reveal Hinamori's turn against Aizen, against the protest of Hitsugaya and others. It was felt that there would be more support for the new leadership of Seireitei if it was believed that Aizen was defeated by them rather than someone already hated as a traitor. Thus, Hinamori was buried here in an unmarked grave, doomed to be forever hated by the world at large as a traitor, her final good deed known only to those who witnessed it.

He gazed sadly at the patch of raised earth that served as Hinamori's eternal resting place.

"Momo…was there nothing I could have done to save you?" he whispered.

"Why are you talking to a patch of dirt?" a loud voice of a young girl suddenly said. Hitsugaya looked up, eyes wide, and saw the vague outline of someone hiding in the branches of the tree. Upset that someone had seen him in his time of weakness and furious at the fact that someone was playing at the sight of Hinamori's grave, Hitsugaya yelled up at the person in the tree.

"Hey, get down here!" he yelled.

"No!" the young girl called back. Growling, he grabbed onto one of the lower branches and pulled himself up. The outline of the person in the trees was moving further up the tree. Hitsugaya climbed up after her.

"Get down right now! You have no right to be here!" he yelled.

"Like I'm going to listen to a kid who plays dress-up!" the girl yelled back. As she attempted to climb away, Hitsugaya grabbed her by the ankle.

"Get down!" he yelled, "This is an important place; you can't just climb around it!"

"What, is it your cosplaying tree you little weirdo?" the girl retorted. Hitsugaya pulled at her leg, trying to get her down. Suddenly though, the branch beneath him snapped, causing him to fall, pulling both him and the girl crashing down through the branches and onto the ground below.

"Urgh…" Hitsugaya groaned, rubbing his side and pushing the girl off of him.

"Hey! You smashed my melon!" the girl yelled, throwing the dirty broken bits of a watermelon at him, "You meanie!"

"Forget about that, what the hell were you doing-" Hitsugaya froze when he saw her face. She had soft brown eyes and chocolate brown hair that she wore in pig tails. She was short, just a little taller than him, and was wearing the clothes of an ordinary Rukongai resident.

"M-Momo…" he whispered in shock.

"What? How do you know my name?" the girl asked in surprise, "Are you some kind of stalker?"

Hitsugaya continued to stare in shock at her. It couldn't be…Momo Hinamori was dead. Yet this girl was also named Momo and looked exactly like the Hinamori he knew. What was going on? Was this the same Momo he knew before or somebody else? She was _exactly_ as he remembered her. He overcame his shock and cleared his throat to speak.

"I-I'm Toushiro Hitsugaya," he said.

"Well I'm Momo Miyazaki," she said.

"Nice…nice to meet you…Momo…" Hitsugaya said, unsure exactly how to react. This couldn't be the Momo he knew…could it? It was impossible, yet still...he couldn't help but feel a strong connection to this girl…he didn't know what to think. Despite all of the doubt, something deep in his heart told him that this was the Momo Hinamori he knew. It _was_ her…he had no proof and it went against all logic, but it _had_ to be her, he couldn't believe anything else. A smile crossed his face, and tears began forming in his eyes.

"Well, let's get going," Momo said, grabbing his hand.

"Going? Where?" Hitsugaya asked.

"To get me a new melon. You smashed my other melon, so you've got to get me a new one," Momo said, "It's what a gentleman would do." Hitsugaya smiled at her.

"Okay, I'll get you a new melon on one condition," he said, "You have to let me eat it with you."

"Deal," Momo said with a grin. She held his hand as they walked off to get a new watermelon, both of them smiling.

_The End_


End file.
